Merged Reality
by anyabar1987
Summary: Something Ugly has happened to Trance's perfect future and now two universes have to come together as one universe to rescue everything she has worked for.
1. The Broken Perfect Future

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Andromeda or any of the characters from the show. I do not own Star Trek Voyager either or any of the those characters. If you don't recognize a character in the story there is a chance that I may have created that character. I will try to note whether I have borrowed a character from obscurity or if I created that character. However chances are that even if I created the character I probably don't own the name to their race._

Trance opened her eyes and looked around the nebula's chamber, "This can't be right, something has changed."

The other avatars opened their eyes and looked Trance, "It is something that has disrupted the Perfect future."

Trance ran to the center of the chamber and looked at her bonsai with fear. "Everything is doomed, this strange new race is spreading ugliness all over the restored universe." Trance started clipping branches off of her bonsai before yelling into the air. "I need an answer. Why do I get charged with creating a perfect future so that it can be destroyed only a few years from completion?"

Trance looked at the branches and looked at the others, "There is another outcome that we didn't explore. I will have to account for a few other people in our universe. But it can be done."

"You will be altering the past Trance Gemini!" the others echoed around the room. Trance dismissed them knowing it is the only way to keep this monstrosity from killing the entire universe a second time.

A new branch grew off of the strong true line and Trance snipped the old branch causing her and the other avatars to vanish and rewind back in time.

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><p>(: Review please :)<p> 


	2. Welcome to Tarazed

Captain Janeway walked onto the Bridge and Chakotay stood up and handed command back to the Captain with the report, "Seven and the Doctor are on their way back from their mission. They estimate that they will be back in fifteen minutes."

Captain Janeway nodded and took her seat just as a bright flash consumed the entire ship.

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><p>Seven attempted to hail Voyager as the shuttle came into range however she received no acknowledgement that their hail was received. "This is highly frustrating!"<p>

"What is it Seven" the Doctor replied coming to Seven and placing a hand on her shoulder.

Seven looked at the holographic hand on her shoulder,"I contacted Voyager fifteen minutes ago and informed them of our ETA. Now I cannot seem to hail them."

They came into visual range and saw Voyager ahead of them however something didn't look right and the sensors detected no life signs aboard.

"That is odd," the doctor said looking at the readings on Seven's monitor. "There is no evidence that any of the escape pods were launched either."

They entered the shuttle into the launch bay. "The only shuttle that is missing is the Delta Flyer." Seven noted as they parked their shuttle in its place on the flight deck.

As they walked over the ship they found various things missing. These things included the crews' personal effects although they did not see this. There was evidence that all the files in the computer had been copied. Some of the replicator Units were missing. But the biggest issue was that the ship was running mostly on Auxiliary power as if the ship had not been inhabited for several days.

"How is it that all this missing at random places over the ship." Seven asked the Doctor after they finished sweeping the main decks for any evidence of who took the rest of the crew. The Doctor split ways with Seven and returned to Sick Bay to see if he could find any evidence from there while Seven went to the Cargo bay. There she discovered that the Borg children were gone along with their alcoves and all of their belongings.

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><p>When the crew that had disappeared reappeared in a field with all of their belongings scattered about. Some upon landing fell on their bottoms unprepared for the change of ground beneath their feet.<p>

They puzzled out where they could be until a strange fighter craft of a small size flew over head. This though they did not know what it was, was a slip fighter. Inside the occupant was none other then Admiral Telemachus Rhade.

Rhade had been in Transit from the capital of Tarezed to his prides village. Seeing the people standing in a field that probably shouldn't be standing in this field at all being hundreds of miles from any village. He turned the fighter around and set down a short way from the group and walked over.

As he walked he armed himself with his force lance incase these people were hostile. When he got close to the group he called out, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Captain Janeway responded to the mans question, "I am Captain Janeway and this is my crew. We as strange as it may seem, we just appeared here with all of our belongings. But could you please tell us who you are?"

"I am Admiral Telemachus Rhade out of Majoram by Rhade of Majoram Pride." Rhade said with a serious look that said he was proud of his lineage. "I have called for reinforcements to come and take you into custody." As soon as he said that a shadow fell across the ground and upon looking up Rhade saw that is was the Eureka Maru.

When the ship set down, a women walked off followed by a woman with red hair and a tight jumpsuit. "Admiral Rhade you called for help? The Andromeda was in orbit and Hunt thought I should come down and check it out and see if you needed our help transporting them to the capital."

"Captain Valentine, you are pushing your luck with me." Rhade said in a sort of growl.

"What, what have I done. I know you are not happy with Dylan but why me and seriously all we want to do is help you. You know set our differences aside and work together for once. And who knows maybe that will lead to you changing your mind about Dylan and his crusade." Beka said walking over and picking up an object from the ground. "Now even if you do not want it I am going to help. You can throw me and Harper in jail for all I care but I am going to help."

Rhade let out a low growl. "Fine it seems Hunt is Determined to try anything. You can help but No funny business. You can start by loading that junk bucket with the stuff on the ground."

Captian Janeway stepped in "look maybe we can just settle our differences so that we can figure out how we got here and how we can get ourselves back to where we came from."

"My ship is not a junk bucket Rhade and the sooner you learn that the quicker we will be friends." Captain valentine smiled and walked over to the scattered belongings.

Looking around she spotted the four tall structures, "What by the Empress are those?"

Icheb was standing near them and he looked at Captain Valentine. "They are regeneration alcoves. I along with three of the other children are required to spend six hours a night in them."

"Ok then, let's see about getting them in first." Captain Valentine walked up to the machine and pushed at it a minute and tried to pull at it.

"Be careful, they are very important." Icheb said trying to get in between the captain and the alcove.

"Rommie can I have a hand over here." Captain Valentine hollered to the other woman.

Rommie made her way over and sized up the machine. "I estimate it to weigh about fifteen hundred kilo's Beka."

"Well this nice boy has so politely informed me that they are very fragile and very important." Beka informed Rommie.

"You know I was not designed for this. But none the less the weight is well within my variable range." Rommie tilted the machine onto her back and hoisted it up slightly before walking towards the Maru.

Captain Janeway looked up from collecting items to see this transpire. "Admiral how is that person doing that?"

"That is Andromeda Ascendant. Obviously Captain Hunt sent her along for that very reason." Rhade nodded

"What kind of a name is Andromeda Ascendant?" Captain Janeway asked.

"It is the name of a ship and that is that ship's Avatar." Rhade stated, "Back in the day it was one of the Commonwealth's greatest feats to give sentience to their ships and along with that was the ship made flesh."

"The Commonwealth? I have never heard of it." Captain Janeway frowned.

"Then there is a lot to discuss Captain Janeway. However it will have to wait until we get back to the city. The Triumvirate are no doubt in session to figure out what to do with your crew captain. I have very little doubt though that you will not be granted refugee status for the time being."

In the time that they were talking Rommie had loaded the other three alcoves onto the Maru and was tackling the replicators. Slowly but steadlily everything that had been laying in the grass made its way into the cargo hold of the Maru.

Once everything was loaded Rhade climbed back into his transport and headed back to the city while Beka and Rommie got the entire Voyager crew situated in the Maru for the very short flight back to the capital city.

As this was going on no one noticed a little girl slip from the group and enter the cockpit area. When Beka and Rommie entered the cockpit beka was pushing her seat into place when she saw the child. "What is your name?" she bent over and reached her hand out.

The child climbed out, "My designation is Mezoti and I am eight years old."

Rommie stood up, "Beka do you want me to take her into the back?"

Beka shook her head. "Well Mezoti how would you like to help me pilot my ship?"

"Can I?" Mezoti asked as she climbed out of her hiding place.

Beka sat down and pulled Mezoti into her lap. "You take the handles like this and grip them." Beka said wrapping Mezoti's little fingers around the controls and then placing her hands over them just the way she remembered her Father teaching her. "We are staying planet side so we will take it slowly and ease up gently and then we will go very slowly as we turn the Maru around and head to the city."

They had just about arrived in the city when the doors opened and Captain Janeway emerged into the cockpit, "One of the children is missing we need to go find her."

Rommie pointed to Beka, "Is that your missing child? Beka seems to have taken a liking to her. She is assisting in flying the ship."

"Captain Valentine seems to be very maternal. Does she have children of her own?" Captain Janeway asked.

"Unless you count the fact that she considers everyone in our crew to be her children then no she does not." Rommie frowned and I am unsure as to whether given the opportunity if she would give up her career to tend to a family."

Beka reached out to press a few buttons on the console next to her chair, "please brace for landing as we try to bring you down nice and slowly."

Once the ship had landed and Beka had secured the ship Admiral Rhade came back aboard. "Rommie can you give me the Com?"

Beka nodded and Rommie connected Rhade to the Ships Com.

"Attention we will be holding here while we wait for the Triumvirate to deliver their decisions." Rhade announced

Rommie received a transmission and nodded to Rhade, "The Triumvirs are on their way over. They would like our visitors assembled when they arrive."

Beka set Mezoti down, "Go back with your captain, You are very brave. Maybe I will have to have you help me if I ever have to run planet side cargo again."

Mezoti climbed back up to the main deck and went with Captain Janeway.

"Change of plans: we will be disembarking from the ship in an orderly formation and assembling outside for further direction." Rhade said reactivating the Com.

Beka opened the doors and then powered the ship down so that she could go and assist in unloading.

Rhade was standing by the loading bay, "People only, leave your belongings on board for the time being. You will receive further instructions from the Triumvirate."


	3. What Makes a Captain

Thank you Kerashana for betaing this chapter for me.

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><p><strong>What Makes a Captain<strong>

The entire voyager crew gathered outside the ship which Beka had landed on the outer edge of the central plaza as per her orders. All around the city rose up and towered over them.

A group made their way over to the Crew of the Voyager; as they moved closer it was obvious from the uniforms and the Lance they carried that they were of a military faction.

Once they were in range a short official looking person stepped through the soldiers and announced the group, as the soldiers all took a protective formation around behind the more important people.

"Introducing the First Triumvirate council of the New Systems Commonwealth. You will regard them as follows: Tri Jemma, Tri Lorn, and Tri Ortiz."

Tri Jemma stepped forward, "We welcome you strange new visitors to our planet, though you did not ask for any of this we are sure we understand your plight and have in a unanimous vote decreed that you will be hereafter awarded the title of refugees. We hope to help you find a way home however if that turns out to not be a possibility we have other options that will be discussed at a later date."

"We however have some rules that are expected to be followed for our citizens' safety and yours as well. We will provide housing until such time as other options can be arranged as well as any provisions required. However you will not be allowed to leave the housing area without escort and proper authorization. We will inspect all your belongings and personal effects before returning them to you once you are settled, in addition you will all undergo a complete medical check." Tri Lorn added

Some of the voyager crew began to get defensive at the suggestions and the restrictions however they calmed slightly as the next person to speak did so calmly, "As said this is only temporary and we apologize for the security restrictions. Once we were a great nation of one million planets and taking in refugees would have been no problem. But alas these days we are a nation of under one hundred planets, we are at constant war with our enemies, we cannot afford to be blinded by anything unexpected." Tri Ortiz finished.

The table returned to Tri Jemma, "There is one other little piece that needs to be dealt with. As the Systems Commonwealth never recognized children under the Refugee referendums the five children in your custody will be allowed to remain with you indefinitely however after a medical check and a brief quarantine in which to check for any contagious disease's the children will be allowed to come and go within reason and will be required to attend school at least five days a week at a selected school within a reasonable distance to your residences."

Tri Ortiz picked up, "If you are still present when any of the children reach eighteen years of age, they will be awarded full unconditional citizenship and the right to move wherever they choose with the options of full participation in our Military and or our Government."

The soldiers moved back into formation around the Triumvirs and they left while Rhade stood in front of the crew. "You will follow me to your residence. Once we get there you will surrender any and all weapons and jewelry to the guards who will then issue you a temporary uniform so we can search and record everything. Everything will be returned to you once it has been processed as being non-threatening to our society."

Captain Janeway stepped forward, "We have some items that might seem threatening but they are needed for the well-being of my crew."

"After you have gone through our medical check I will be more than welcoming to go through these items with you and figure them out." Rhade nodded

Captain Janeway took Mezoti's hand and nodded to the girl, "Stay with me, I don't want you wandering off Mezoti." She then looked to Commander Chakotay, "Commander get Tom and Harry and keep one of the boys near each of you. I have a feeling they are not going to understand the children's unique conditions."

"Captain my stomach feels funny." Mezoti said looking up to the captain, "I think I am scared, I have never really been scared before."

Captain Janeway bent down and brushed the girl's hair out of her face, "Mezoti I'm sure you have been scared before. Do you remember the first time we met? I asked you about your planet and what the suns looked like when they set in the evening?"

Mezoti nodded, "But First refused to let me answer but I would have had to say then that I didn't. Since then Seven has let me look at a lot of data about my planet and after seeing the pictures of a sunset I think I thought that it was really pretty."

"Close your eyes and forget about the pictures Mezoti. What did you feel when the Borg came for you?" Captain Janeway whispered.

"I screamed for my mother." The girl whispered and her eyes shot open, "But my mother wasn't there, she had left me and run away because I was too slow. She gave up on me." Mezoti started to cry, "I was even more scared then until I was put into the chamber."

Rhade walked over to the captain, "What are you doing to the child?"

Captain Janeway picked Mezoti up, "I am forcing her to remember her feelings. Otherwise she wouldn't understand. She is too young to fully comprehend."

"And you do that by making her cry?" Rhade asked.

"She didn't understand what being nervous or being afraid was because of things that have been done to her before she came to be in the care of my crew." Captain Janeway frowned.

"If you are finished I would like you to lead your people to your new residence. Follow me." Rhade indicated as they walked across the plaza where curious faces stood to watch them pass by.

Mezoti remained in her arms though she was quickly returning to the placid mostly emotionless child that was normally present. No Janeway reminded herself she might be emotionless but she was the most curious so in the end it was better for right now that Mezoti stay in her arms.

Rhade stopped in front of a tall building not too far from the plaza they had just been in. There was a security fence around the building which Rhade assured them would come down after a few days. At the gate a guard requested all side arms, combadges and jewelry. They were then directed to another guard where they were asked for their sizes and were given bags with clothes in them. Going to a changing tent they stripped out of their uniforms and put on the temporary clothing they had been given.

Once changed Captain Janeway stood by the door to the lobby of the apartment building with Mezoti. The crew lined up behind her dressed in for the most part plain white outfits with just socks on their feet. A junior Officer wound up standing behind her, "Captain, how can you let them treat us like this? I feel like an animal being herded around. Did you see the people on the streets staring at us?"

"They could be treating us far worse than this Ensign. They are just protecting their interests while also trying to accommodate for the one hundred and fifty of us they have just picked up. There is nothing we can do at this point anyways, we don't have a ship and we don't have the slightest clue as to where we are. If Seven can find us then we should be able to get out of here soon."

A doctor came out and nodded to the captain. Captain Janeway stood and walked inside with Mezoti.

"I can only take you. The child will have to wait for another doctor." The doctor pointed.

"She needs to be with me. She has some medical conditions that need to be explained and I don't know if she could explain to you everything that needs doing or understand you. There are three boys that are somewhere behind us as well who are very similar." Captain Janeway stated.

The doctor nodded, "Alright then which one of you do I see first."

"Do me first, I am the captain." Janeway said as she set Mezoti down, "stay right here, I am going to be just over there."

The doctor held up a sheet of plastic, "This Flexi will be your medical file. I will remain your physician for the duration of your stay as a refugee here. I am Dr. Freemont and you can ask for me at any time. Could you state your name?"

"Captain Katherine Janeway." Janeway stated as the doctor typed it onto the flexi.

"You are Human correct?"

"Yes. How did you know?" Janeway asked.

"Tarazed is a primarily Human refuge. Pretty much we were the only human inhabited planet that came through the Long night without being overrun by slavers or Magog." The doctor replied before switching topics, "Have you had any contagious diseases in the last year?"

"No contagious diseases in the last year. My whole file should be in one of the files that came with us." Janeway answered.

"I will make note to look through it when it is released but for now all I need is recent illnesses that might still have potential to rear its head." The doctor said looking back down at the flexi. "I am going to need to draw some blood for further testing and then after I give you this immune-builder you and I can move onto your little friend."

"Immune-builder?" Janeway asked

"Yes where you come from an unknown area it is standard to inject you with medical bots that can safely deliver immunity to some of our more frightful diseases. Normally children receive this soon after birth. Don't worry it doesn't hurt much and as soon as the medical bots do their job they are deactivated and absorbed into your body." The doctor prepped a needle.

"And you are drawing blood for analysis? Where we come from we can do all that without sticking needles into people." Janeway responded.

"Well I would like to see that. It sounds impressive however this is how we have done it for the three thousand years we have been a part of the commonwealth." The doctor stated before inserting the needle into the captain's arm and then pulling it out. Setting it down after closing up the container he pulled out a big needle and pressed a few buttons before pressing it to the side of her neck. "There you should be good to go for now. I will be in touch if I have any questions about your medical history."

Janeway moved over and called to Mezoti who came up and jumped onto the table.

"Mezoti can you tell this nice doctor your full name?"

Mezoti tilted her head to the side, "My designation is Mezoti, the rest of my name if I had one was lost with my assimilation."

The doctor looked at Captain Janeway, "Assimilation?"

"It is a long story but you are going to find some things out about this little girl. She requires special medical attention. A member of my crew who will be coming in later should be able to train you a little bit on some of her needs." Captain Janeway said looking at Mezoti.

"What race are you?" the doctor looked at Mezoti again.

"I am species 682: Norcadian. I am eight years old and I spent one month in a maturation chamber on a Borg cube." Mezoti tilted her head to the side and played with her braid.

"Can you tell me about the Norcadians and the Borg?" the doctor asked.

"Norcadians are a bipedal humanoid species that has a history being hearty warriors. They were assimilated because of their resistancy to injury. The borg are a race of cybernetic beings that take into their own to grow. They assimilate and take your individuality away to become one mind. I was released when a bio weapon was unleashed on my cube and killed all the mature drones. We attempted to rejoin the collective however we were refused and Voyager took us in and made us individuals again. My people refused to take me back because I was tainted by the enemy and they didn't like voyager." Mezoti explained her story.

Captain Janeway nodded, "We only recovered Mezoti two months ago. We don't have a history on her beyond that. You may want to test your medical bots on a blood sample first. She has residual borg technology that doesn't react well with other technology. We once grew a borg drone on our ship because the type of nanobots that are in her blood interacted with some technology from our ship."

"Let me get another doctor we may want to hold off on her and take her back to the hospital to do the tests." The doctor said stepping to the door.

The doctor came back a moment later, "Good news is that Trance Gemini came from the Andromeda to help she is a little bit better at reading these type things.

A gold woman with red dreadlocks walked in. She smiled softly at Mezoti as she drew some blood from Mezoti's arm. "You are a very brave little girl. Beka told me what a good helper you were helping to pilot the Maru."

"You know Beka?" Mezoti smiled slightly

"She is my best friend. Do you have any friends?"

"Yes, Icheb, Azan and Rebi who are twins and Naomi Wildman although she isn't like me or the others." Mezoti explained, "I had another friend named Seven but she didn't come with us for some reason."

Trance smiled, "Maybe you will see her again someday. It could be in the perfect possible future. For now keep her alive by remembering her here and here," Trance took Mezoti's hand and pointed to her head and heart.

The doctor took the blood sample and put a small drop onto the slide of a microscope. After looking at the sample she called over to Trance.

Trance peaked in at the sample and then dropped a small drop of the medical bots in with the slide. "Oh dear!" she responded as she threw the slide onto the ground and pulled out a forcelance with which she shot the sample, which lit the floor briefly alight. When it died away there was nothing on the ground it had been completely incinerated. "We need to try again, I am sure we can raise the resistance of the medical bots to fight off these things. I have seen it done with other things.

Trance closed her eyes, "Try fifty percent." She said upon opening them.

The doctor nodded and tried again with a fifty percent stronger bot. "I don't know how you do it but there is absolutely no interaction between our two little friends."

"You will need to do further tests but that will allow the bots to get what they need done and die off before those ones in her bloodstream can counter them." Trance nodded and stepped over toward Mezoti.

"This might sting for a minute but I can promise you that it will do nothing but help you." Trance stuck a needle into the same place it had been stuck into the captain's arm.

Captain Janeway looked at trance, "How did you know how to do what you did?"

"I listen to my mind and my inner being. I listen to everything around me." Trance smiled whimsically.

"I am sorry; I don't recognize your species." Captain Janeway asked looking at her.

The doctor came up, "You and the rest of the galaxy have never seen another like Trance. According to the rest of the Andromeda she showed up out of nowhere almost five years ago asking for a job. When she first visited Tarazed she had purple skin and bleached blonde hair."

"I don't tell you my planet or my real name only because you wouldn't be able to pronounce it or even begin to comprehend it. Trance smiled as she picked Mezoti up and set her back on the floor.

"I can take Mezoti upstairs to wait for someone. Captain you were requested for by Admiral Rhade." Trance smiled, "If you just go out the doors you came in he should be around somewhere."

Trance went to an elevator with Mezoti and took her inside it before Janeway could make it to the doors to the outside.

"Captain, I take it you have a clean bill of health?" Admiral Rhade said nodding to the captain.

"Yes…" Janeway said rubbing her shoulder

"Tell me what these four devices do?" Rhade pointed at the alcoves.

"Four of our children have to use them to maintain their implants. They are not a weapon. They are primarily an object that realigns any misalignment that might occur; unless you want four children to die I would approve those to be allowed inside." Janeway said

"Did your people build these?" Rhade asked

"No we took them from the people that were going to enslave the children. We had them prior to the children but the purpose was still the same." Janeway stated

"Alright figure out which room you will be putting the children and I will have these moved up there." Rhade nodded, "Why don't you go back inside, I think your crew is starting to get antsy."

Captain Janeway walked off the elevator onto the second floor where the doors to four apartments had been propped open and her crew was gathering.

Tuvok met her near the elevator, "Captain I have checked this whole building through. There appears to be eight floors, seven of which house living units. The second and third floors have four units while the fourth and fifth have three and the sixth and seventh house two with one slightly larger unit on the eighth."

"Well I guess it is better than nothing at all. What else can you tell me about this place?" Janeway asked.

"Each unit has three bedrooms and a bathroom. If my calculations are correct that would equal to fifty-seven rooms, if we put two to three crew members together in each room we should all fit." Tuvok equated, "It is also my opinion that senior crew take the one unit on the eighth floor."

Janeway raised her hand, "I agree, however I think it would also be beneficial to put the children up there as well."

"That sounds logical to remove them from a situation that could turn sour if they are put with crew members who might not like this turn of events." Tuvok reasoned

"Not quite, having the children would allow us the courtesy of knowing more about these people. We have been granted very limited access to outside facilities while the children will be attending school and encouraged to integrate themselves into society." Janeway corrected

"Is it wise to use the children in such a fashion?" Tuvok asked

"It is the only means we have. They will be our only connection to the outside." Janeway sighed, "I really don't want to do it but given our circumstances it seems like it is the only way."

"Very well, I will inform our hosts to move specific things to the top floor." Tuvok left the captain alone.

Janeway turned around and looked through a door where several crew members were waiting for further direction. Going to the window she gazed out at the street below and the people who were going about their day. It almost seemed too peaceful.

"Captain, I don't want to be separated from Naomi if at all possible." A voice said coming from behind

"Ensign Wildman, I have been thinking about that." Janeway turned around.

"You have?" Sam frowned

"I want you and Naomi to move in with us on the eighth floor. You can room with Be'Lanna and myself and Naomi can room with the other four children. It would keep them together where we can keep an eye on all the children."

"Captain… I…" Sam protested

"Call me Katherine; I am not exactly a captain of anything around here. You can refuse however; you are the only member of my crew with experience at being a parent. On voyager we had Seven to keep the children in line but here I think we need to go with a more traditional outlook if you would like." Janeway frowned.

"You are still our captain even without voyager." Sam stated, "But I will take you up on your offer.

.


	4. Introductions aboard the Andromeda

****Thank you Kerashana for betaing this chapter for me.

I do not own either Star Trek Voyager or Andromeda, they are owned by their respective production companies.

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><p><strong>Introductions aboard the Andromeda<strong>

"Captain's Log Stardate: unknown, we have been on Tarazed for four days now. I however can't ascertain the star date as the dating system for this planet is far different from our own. I have been informed that by their calendar Earth joined their commonwealth three thousand years ago however I have not found out anything relevant to help date these logs thus far.

The crew is adjusting we have received most of our belongings back and are settling into our new living arrangements. The Tarazedian government seems to be very forthcoming when it comes to providing us furnishings and food. Be'Lanna Torres and Harry Kim have both been working around the clock with an engineering crew to try and link the alcoves up to their power grid but so far the children are managing."

Janeway walked into the room that had been assigned to the children, "How is it coming Ensign?"

"Not good captain we are about to try another method of linking up but four days and we haven't been able to get an ounce of juice from the alcoves." Harry reported as he looked to the team that was trying to run diagnostics on the alien devices. "I am sure if Seven was here we would have had these up and running four days ago."

"But she isn't here; we will just have to manage Harry." Janeway frowned.

"Captain why do you suppose that she isn't here with us. Do you think something might have happened?" Harry asked

"She wasn't on the ship when we were taken, neither was the Doctor. I am hoping they are with the ship right now and can work from that end to find us." Janeway sighed before leaving the room to find the children in the living room with Ensign Wildman. The children had been provided with art supplies donated from the local schools as well as the equivalent to Text books so that they could catch up and understand some of what was being taught in the schools.

Naomi and Mezoti were busy coloring pictures to decorate the walls of their room while Azan, Rebi and Icheb seemed to be reading through a language book no doubt mastering the language nuances.

There was a knock at the open doorframe to the apartment and Captain Janeway turned to the sound. "Sorry to interrupt, I had some down time and I wanted to check in on my little friend."

"Captain Valentine correct?" Janeway greeted

"Call me Beka; I am not much for that formal mumbo jumbo." Beka said walking in.

Mezoti looked up and smiled at Beka, "Hello there."

"Hello Mezoti, I brought you something." Beka grinned, "Hold out your wrist."

Mezoti did so, and Beka spoke as she put on a bracelet, "My Dad gave it to me when I was your age. He told me it was made from some of the rarest and most precious treasures the universe holds at the end of some of the most exquisite slip stream routes."

"It looks like colored glass to me." Mezoti said examining it.

"I will tell you a secret," Beka put her finger to her mouth and whispered, "It is."

"Then why give it to me and tell me that lie?" Mezoti asked.

"I told you because of what it stands for. It might not be real but the idea that something like that could exist. I give it to you because I see in your eyes that you could be the one to one day explore and find such a thing." Beka smiled.

Mezoti tilted her head, "I don't think I compute your meaning."

"I think you do." Beka nodded, "One day; you will fully understand."

Mezoti looked at the bracelet and twisted it around before cringing and falling to the ground. Once on the ground Mezoti moaned and held her head.

Beka gasped, "I didn't do anything!"

Janeway ran over to Mezoti and Icheb came next to her and announced. "She was complaining a little while ago of a headache. She indicated that it was in the area of her cortical array. I told her we were all feeling strange, it has been four days since we have been able to regenerate."

"Well, I think there is more going on than that. We need to get her medical attention." Janeway announced.

"It will take too long to get her doctor over here." Beka took Mezoti, "Captain Janeway comes with me, and we will take her to the Andromeda. Trance will be able to find out what is wrong with her."

Janeway ran after Beka who practically sprinted to the elevator. Once on the ground floor Janeway was stopped by security.

"You have not been authorized to leave the building yet." The guard said sternly.

Beka stopped, "I am taking her to the Andromeda, this child needs medical attention fast and Trance can give it to her faster if she has someone who has knowledge of this girl's species. I don't think the triumvirs would want any of the refugees to die, do you?"

The guard let them pass and Beka ran to the Maru where she sat Mezoti in a seat; at one of the control stations that were up behind the cockpit. "Stay with her, it could get a little bumpy."

Beka flipped some switches, "Andromeda Ascendant this is the Eureka Maru; I am in bound with a medical emergency have Trance ready and waiting on the med deck."

Beka started the engines and after lifting off pushed her ship to the fastest speed that she could get away with in an atmosphere break away. Once she was free of the planets gravity she steered the ship towards where the Andromeda Ascendant sat in high orbit, "Captain Janeway may I introduce you to the Andromeda Ascendant."

"Why do you need a ship so large?" Janeway gasped

"The Commonwealth knew how to make their ships captain. Andromeda is the second largest type they made and her type was developed to be flagships but is also very deadly at the same time." Beka smiled. "Are you saying your people don't have ships this large?"

"No, our largest is about half this size. We have encountered races with ships of this size but they almost always had bad intentions." Janeway shook her head, "What is the crew compliment like for a ship of that size?"

"Fully staffed she holds a crew of four thousand however on a good day in this day and age we are lucky to get five hundred. She can be operated with a crew of six though." Beka turned to look at her passengers, "And the commonwealth usually had some of the best intentions at least after they became the Commonwealth and left the imperial junk behind five thousand years ago."

Beka piloted the ship into the Andromeda's launch bay and once she was docked and secured she went and picked Mezoti up. No sooner than they were off the Maru did Andromeda appear.

"Beka, you know I am not a medical relief ship. This child could have gotten medical attention on the planet without you violating the terms and conditions of these peoples stay on Tarazed." The hologram reasoned.

"Andromeda, look at this child. She isn't exactly a known species; her best bet for treatment is Trance. You have said it yourself; you have seen her perform surgery on completely unknown species. The doctors and medical treatment may be state of the art on Tarazed but they have spent three hundred years treating a primarily human population." Beka turned Mezoti towards Andromeda.

Andromeda nodded and then vanished again.

"That was that person from the other day when you were helping my crew move?" Janeway asked.

"No on that day I had Rommie the avatar that is another of her personalities. She is the logic and strategic edge of the ship. The ship sentience manifests itself in three distinct personalities. Rommie's personality lends itself to be more human, more understanding; she goes through what the crew goes through while also being the ship, she cries and laughs with us." Beka described as they walked through the ship.

Mezoti started to stir in Beka's arms so Beka paused and readjusted the girl. "She isn't all that light, you know that? It is times like this I wish I was a heavy Gravity worlder instead of a High Reflex descendant."

"A what?" Janeway asked.

"Over ninety percent of humans are genetically engineered in some shape or form to specialize in certain fields. My ancestors were modified to be the better pilot while others like Dylan's mother were engineered to function in heavy gravity environments." Beka described, "There is this nasty group out there that wants to eradicate all the impure humans but that would be killing almost all the human race."

"That doesn't sound good. How much further is it to a turbolift?" Janeway asked Beka.

"A what?" Beka paused to look at the other captain.

"You don't have lifts of any shape or form on this ship?" Janeway asked looking around.

"No, the commonwealth believed in running everywhere. There are ladders all over that stretch various decks but you can also run the entire ship corridors if you so choose." Beka frowned, "Though if I do say so those lifts sound almost envious."

A few minutes later Beka directed Captain Janeway into the med deck and laid Mezoti on the treatment bed. Trance came over and started examining her.

"What do you need me to do?" Janeway asked moving out of the way.

"Nothing Captain. I have all the information you provided the other day and I work best when I am alone. I only need you for your consent to treat her." Trance smiled.

"Well consent given. I have been told you are a medical genius." Janeway explained.

"I am not a Genius of anything, I just listen, feel, and know what I am supposed to do and when I need to do it." Trance said modestly.

Beka stepped back, "I need to go do some things."

"Oh; ok Beka." Trance nodded

Rommie came onto the deck, "Captain Janeway, Captain Hunt requests your present in his offices."

"I should stay with my charge." Janeway said looking towards Trance and Mezoti.

"The child is in capable hands with Trance." Rommie stated.

"Go, I do my best work when I am uninterrupted. If I have any questions I will know where to reach you." Trance said looking up from her work.

Janeway nodded and left with Rommie. "I have been told you are the ship."

"Yes I am." Rommie nodded as she guided Janeway up some ladders and down some corridors. When they got to a door several decks up Rommie stopped and indicated that Janeway should go on inside, "Captain Hunt is waiting for you."

Janeway stepped forward and took in a breath of air for courage and walked into the office. The sight she was greeted with was a tall man sitting in front of a three dimensional game board.

The captain stood up, "Captain Janeway, I presume."

"Captain Hunt, I presume?" Janeway nodded.

"Please call me Dylan, if we are both captains we should be frank with each other." Dylan nodded.

"You may call me Katherine then." Janeway smiled

Dylan went to his drink counter, "Can I get you anything?"

"Do you have coffee?" Katherine asked

"That I don't have on me, but I can get you some." Dylan nodded, "Andromeda could you send someone up with some coffee for our guest?"

Andromeda appeared on the screen, "Yes Captain, Beka is bringing it to you herself."

"Thank you, Andromeda." Dylan nodded, "Do you play Go?"

"I don't think I do." Katherine shook her head.

"Please sit and I will teach you while we discuss some matters."


	5. The Engineers

AN:Thank you to anyone who has reviewed. There may not be more for a bit unless someone knows of a good beta reader. I will warn people that this is not an short little story so I am willing to have people beta as they feel they can contribute, I know doing it this way may lead to inconsistencies later on in the story however I know people have lives, heck I have a life and I am surprised I have even managed a story this long without trying to kill it off. But anyways if you are willing to beta read a chapter or two message me and we can set something up.

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><p><strong>The Engineers<strong>

"This isn't working!" an engineer frowned, "I think we have exhausted all our options here."

"You can't just quit," Be'Lanna frowned, "there has to be a way."

"We have four children who require this technology." Harry said backing Be'Lanna up.

"We can't do anything," a second engineer said, "your tech is just too foreign to safely connect to the power grids here. There is one option but it would include me getting permission for you to leave with me and pay the engineer onboard the Andromeda a visit. If anyone can fix this, he can."

"Well then let's do it." Harry said grabbing some things.

"Hold on a minute, let me get permission." The engineer said pressing his implanted comlink.

Harry and Be'Lanna waited patiently until he came back, "Alright the two of you can come and we need to take all four of the alcoves with us." The engineer nodded. "Someone will meet us outside with a transport."

The engineers, Be'Lanna and Harry set about to load the four alcoves onto gravsleds and push them out of the room to the elevator. It took four trips down the elevator with the four alcoves. When everything had been loaded Be'Lanna and Harry stepped out of the apartment building for the first time in four days.

On the short walk to the transport Harry looked at Be'Lanna, "This city is almost beautiful when you are not being herded around it."

"I just don't like being caged in that apartment. I need to get out and move around." Be'Lanna said as they boarded the transport.

When the transport docked in one of Andromeda's docking bays they began unloading the alcoves.

"What are those things?" Andromeda appeared and crossed her arms.

Be'Lanna explained to the voice, "They are regeneration alcoves; some of our crew require them to stay healthy." Be'Lanna turned to the voice to see the hologram. "Harry you might want to see this."

Harry turned to look at Andromeda and then looked around trying to find the holo-imagers

"Great two more refugees! I am now the Refugee hotel." Andromeda frowned in disdain.

"Relax Andromeda, you can keep them under guard if you so please." The engineer said as he finished unloading the last of the alcoves.

"I just may take you up on that offer Lieutenant." Andromeda relaxed and appeared to close her eyes momentarily as she partitioned off two of her bots.

"I thought you trusted us?" Harry said turning to the Engineer.

"I do, you are quite an interesting group of people. She on the other hand seems to have some circuits crossed today and is extra cranky." The Engineer laughed

"My circuits are working just fine and I know what you say remember!" Andromeda said glaring at the engineer.

The bay doors to the ship opened up and a short blond haired man walked through wearing a loud shirt. "Andromeda did I ever tell you that you are beautiful when you are angry?"

"All the time; Harper. I am not in the mood for flattery today though."

"Well how about this, if you stop scaring away my guests and let us do what needs to be done I will beg Dylan up one side and down the other to let you go find a nice juicy asteroid field to play in."

Andromeda didn't say anything just vanished although she looked happier and much more peaceful.

Harry looked at the man, "What does she do in an asteroid field?"

"Oh you know your typical warship stuff, blow things up and make bombs: big bombs." The man paused, "I am Seamus Harper and it is my understanding you need a technological miracle; well you have come to the right place because I can fix anything."

"We need to get these operational." Harry explained pointed to the alcoves

Harper went over to the machines and looked them up and down. "I think I can do it. We need to get these to a machine shop though." Harper paused before looking nowhere in particular, "Andromeda I am going to be bringing these devices to machine shop sixteen can you have it sealed and sectioned off from your main AI?"

Andromeda appeared on the screen, "Already done Harper, I wasn't going to take any chances with that alien tech. I have had too many things go wrong when you play in an unprotected environment."

Be'lanna walked up to the screen and stared at the image for a minute before Andromeda blinked out, "She seemed different from the hologram."

"Different personality files. There are three different personalities that lend to the ships everyday functions and help run it. Though I can tell you she is angry all the way through for some reason. When I am done helping you I may just have to go into her VR matrix and see if I can do some tweaking."

"Harper you will do no such thing!" A voice rang out and a bolt of electricity discharged from the closest internal defense port.

"Ow! Andromeda you could turn the volts down a little you know?" Harper jumped to the side and rubbed his arm. "And that would be all three working together for once." He explained.

The engineer laughed, "You really know how to get on her bad side; don't you?"

Harry looked at Harper, "You say three personalities, is one of these able to leave this ship and go planet side? I thought I saw her the other day helping us move our stuff into the city."

"Yes; that's Rommie, the android goddess that I created so very perfectly, she is the avatar and can go pretty much anywhere within reason. If she has to go too far she simply disconnects from the main AI and switches to a battery backup." Harper explained to the two.

"We don't have forever. I need to return them at some point to the housing. Could we get to work?" The engineer asked.

"Of course, sorry. I get distracted when I get questioned about my creations." Harper turned around and grabbed one of the grav-carts and when he did so Harry saw his data port.

"What is that?" Harry pointed to the port.

"Oh this? It is my data port, I can take this cable," he produced his cable from his pocket, "Insert one end in the port and then insert the other end into any computer and instantaneously transmit my consciousness into said computers VR matrix."

"That is just weird. Why would you want to do that?" Be'Lanna asked as she grabbed a grav-cart.

"I do it because I love my job; working on the most perfect machinery from the inside out."

When they got to the doors; they opened and they were greeted with the guards Andromeda had sent to watch Harry and Be'Lanna.

The two bots let them all pass and then followed behind carrying their lances in the fully extended mode.

"Let me guess, you created those as well?" Be'Lanna asked Harper as they walked into machine shop sixteen.

"No, although I did redesign them. Andromeda's original crew compliment was four thousand with seven hundred lancers and fifty maintenance and service bots.

Once they were in the machine shop and had the four alcoves unloaded and sitting in the middle of the floor. Harper walked around them and examined them up and down. "Andromeda, could you scan one of these machine thing-a-majigs and create a three dimensional image for me in your VR matrix."

Harper then went to a shelf and grabbed three head pieces, "Alright I need to know what I am doing with what parts here. Put these on and you can come to my computer paradise, but shhh don't tell anyone what the password to club harper is." Harper connected his data port into Andromeda and then into himself.

Harry looked at the head piece, "How do we use these?"

The Engineer came over and picked one up, "Put it over your head and lower the visor over your eyes. Andromeda will do the rest."

Harry looked at Be'lanna, "On the count of three?"

"If you say so." Be'lanna set the device over her head.

"1…2…3" They both lowered them down at the same time and saw the VR matrix swallow them up.

When they landed Harper was poking at a holographic cross section of one of the alcoves. "So tell me what these parts do so I can get a better understanding?"

Harry reached out and pointed to one part and went to touch it but his hand went right through the image.

"Sorry, Andromeda has a firewall up, only I can touch things because of my direct connection to her. Just tell me what to look for and tell me about it."


	6. The Captains

AN: This chapter has not been beta'd if anyone who is reading this and they would be interested in doing some beta work I would be more then willing to try and work something out as I have not been able to find a beta who is willing to commit to something so long.

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><p><strong>The Captains<strong>

"Katherine, tell me about your world?" Dylan asked as he set a black piece on the top board.

Janeway placed a white piece on the board, "I am the captain of a starship called Voyager, it is nothing compare to your ship though. It was originally designed to be a science research and exploration vessel however we got lost on the other side of our galaxy and we spend most of our time trying to cut as much time off the originally seventy year journey to get back to Earth."

"You don't want to move there. I will capture your piece too easily." Dylan instructed, "Earth and you mean to tell me your ship doesn't have slipstream technology? How do you keep from not aging extremely slowly?"

"You haven't heard of earth?" Janeway inquired.

"No, I have it is just a little surprising, not many people you talk to now a days come from earth. My engineer is the only free person I know from earth." Dylan sighed as he placed another piece on the board.

"free person?" Janeway asked.

"When the original commonwealth fell three hundred and seven years ago earth fell with it and it fell very hard. The magog invaded and infested much of the population with their eggs and then the Nietzscheans took advantage of the weakened earth infrastructure and declared the human home world one of their slave worlds." Dylan said mutely.

"You don't seem to have much connection to Earth?" Janeway stated.

"For me growing up, earth was an interesting place to take a vacation once or twice. However I was born and lived most of my life on Tarn Vedra, the capital world of the former Commonwealth." Dylan sighed.

"You seem homesick?" Janeway asked

"When the commonwealth fell Tarn Vedra was cut off from the rest of the known worlds." Dylan said

"Wait, you said it fell three hundred years ago, that would make you…" Janeway inquired.

"Technically three hundred and forty, however I can't account for three hundred and three years because I was frozen in time alongside this ship at the edge of a black hole." Dylan nodded, "Anyways your ships don't have slipstream?"

"We attempted the concept one time but it failed miserably. Our ships use warp drives that can fly at almost ten times the speed of light." Janeway described."

Andromeda appeared in the office, "Trance has requested that Captain Janeway return to medical. Dylan you might want to return with her as well. My avatar is engaged in some nonsense in Machine shop sixteen. Harper has a new project."

"You don't seem too happy about this project Andromeda." Dylan frowned

"I'm not however I am letting Harper to do as he pleases. He is trying to bribe me and I feel like toying with him." Andromeda reported

"What is he bribing you with this time? as long as it doesn't include a reactor meltdown I might let it be." Dylan sighed and looked at Janeway, "It is a very long story."

"He is promising to ride up one side of you and down the other to let me play in an asteroid field." Andromeda reported.

"He didn't need to say that. I was planning on taking you out to an Asteroid field tomorrow. We are low on munitions anyway."

"Well then I will let him carry on and build his ego so that I can crush it." Andromeda smiled almost deviously.

"Go easy on him, it has been a hard year. Don't crush it too hard." Dylan frowned.

Andromeda vanished and Dylan led the way back down to medical.

"You certainly have an interesting crew. I don't know if I could handle reasoning to an artificial intelligence that could just as easily vent all breathable oxygen if she doesn't like your orders." Janeway frowned.

"Oh Andromeda isn't allowed to harm anyone who is registered as a crew member unless I give her a direct order. She can toy with us and threaten us but she can't actually hurt her captain or crew."

"Well that is good to know." Janeway said as she followed Dylan down a ladder.

Once at the bottom of the ladder Dylan jumped down another ladder and Captain Janeway watched him free fall to the bottom. She climbed down it and when she got to the bottom she looked at Dylan.

A voice issued through the corridor, "Dylan, You know I hate it when you do that. I might not be able to catch you in time. Besides do you really want to teach Captain Janeway all your childish tricks?"

"Oh Andromeda I didn't know you cared." Dylan laughed.

"I do believe this is a different way than I was brought up to your office." Janeway looked around.

"Probably, Rommie likes to take guests on long detours." Dylan said deactivating his antigravity harness. "Antigravity harness' are a necessity for getting places fast around ships."

Andromeda appeared, "Don't let him fool you captain, they are dangerous and childish toys." She finished and disappeared again.

Dylan pointed down a corridor, "This way to medical."

Janeway followed behind Dylan as they entered back onto the med deck.

"It doesn't look good, I am sorry. I am so very sorry." Trance said standing near Dylan.

"Trance maybe you can fill us in a little." Dylan asked

Trance looked at Dylan, "I should have known from treating her the other day. Her problem lies within her mechanical implants. I am only good with things that are organic, not with machinery. I might be able to stave off some of the effects by enhancing some of her nanobots with some of our own but other than that unless you get those alcove things fixed she is going to fail and probably so are the other children,"

"Do what you can Trance." Dylan nodded to his golden crew member.

Trance was just about ready to inject Mezoti with some medical nanos that had been programmed specially for Mezoti when Harper came in pushing something. "Here is your medical miracle."

"Ensign, lieutenant, what are you doing here?" Janeway asked

"I could ask the same thing Captain." Be'Lanna asked back, "We came up because we couldn't get the alcoves working. One of the engineering team said he had heard that Seamus Harper was a genius. He said that Harper should be able to fix the alcoves."

"I did more that fix them." Harper bragged, "I redesigned them. I figured out with their help of course that the problem laid with the power source. It wasn't compatible with the distributers on Tarazed. Everything they had tried to do failed because it refused to recognize the energy flow."

Harry looked at Harper, "So he swapped out the energy converters for a model that would be recognized."

"Hey who is telling the story?" Harper glared at Harry. "Anyways after that was done I got looking at the powered up version and I had an inspiration. Many of the systems in that big bulky thing didn't serve any purpose. They were things from when those things were part of a bigger ship so I was able to remove things and then package them up in this nice little bundle."

Captain Janeway crossed her arms and looked at Ensign Kim, "You did warn him about playing with Borg technology didn't you?"

"Oh we warned him." Be'Lanna frowned.

"But in the end he was able to do something that we were never able to do." Harry nodded, "Now to see if it actually works."

Harper positioned it over Mezoti's head and turned it on. A light went on and automatically Mezoti's body went rigid as the machine connected with her cortical array.

Beka walked in, "We need to be getting you back to Tarazed. People have begun to notice that we took three people out at once.

Janeway looked at Mezoti. "What about her, we shouldn't move her."

Trance nodded, "You return. I will stay here with Mezoti. Beka and I can bring her back tomorrow when we are sure she is fine."


	7. Interlude: Trance's Plan

**Interlude: Trance's plans**

Trance sat in medical watching Mezoti. She wondered what went on during these regeneration cycles. She every now and then saw Mezoti's eyes dart back and forth under her closed eyelids. The rest of the crew had turned in for the night and Rommie was in the girl cave, alone.

There was a flash of bright light and Trance was staring at herself albeit a slightly older version.

"It isn't time yet is it? I still have things I need to do. I don't need to grow up yet." Trance stood and stared at the new Trance.

"No, it isn't time yet. I am from a future in which you do everything right and it all goes according to plan. However something horrible is going to come and destroy all we built. I have come as a warning." The older Trance warned, "That girl is a key to fixing the universe. It was I who brought her people here. I tried many different possibilities in which I could watch over them but nothing worked unless I handed the reins over to you. Dylan is still the most important part of your mission but you can't let her or any of the voyager crew die."

Trance nodded. "This is very confusing. I have never received orders from an older me before."

"I know but it couldn't be helped." Older trance sighed before pulling a thin object from her pocket, "lastly place this in a place on this ship that you and you alone will find it even if you have forgotten everything."

"Am I going to forget everything?" Trance frowned.

"I cannot say, there are multiple paths you could take and still get to the perfect future, in one of them yes you lose in order to win." Older trance said before vanishing.

Andromeda appeared, "Trance is everything alright?"

Trance put her hand behind her back, "Yes, why did you sense something?"

"I am unsure; it looked like there was a power surge in here. It vaguely matched your own spectral reading." Andromeda frowned.

"It must have been a glitch in your sensors. I have been alone here with the child all evening." Trance said innocently

"You might be right, I will run a diagnostic." Andromeda vanished

Older Trance reappeared and touched a piece of machinery leaving behind a spark.

"What did you do, if Andromeda detects you she won't believe me a second time." Trance jumped up.

"I was giving her a glitch. I will see you at the end." Older Trance vanished for the last time.


	8. Meeting in the Mess

Meeting in the Mess

Mezoti opened her eyes and sat up, "Where am I?"

Trance came over to Mezoti, "How do you feel?"

"Your designation is Trance Gemini right?" Mezoti said looking that the golden woman.

"Yes that is my name." Trance nodded.

"My head feels funny and my visual preceptors' seem to be out of alignment." Mezoti said squinting.

Trance picked up her Nano injector, "Let's see if this help any. You went a very long time without regenerating."

Soon after letting Trance inject her Mezoti blinked her eyes and stopped squinting.

"Is that better?" Trance asked.

"It is acceptable. My preceptors' are retuning themselves and my head doesn't feel as strange." Mezoti reached up and touched the unit Harper had provided. "what is this?"

"Our engineer was able to redesign your regeneration thingy when he got them to work. Do you like the new look?"

"Style is irrelevant!" Mezoti stated strongly.

"No Style is very relevant. It defines who you are as an individual. You should make things your own." Trance said nodding, "it is everything from how you dress to how you compose yourself. Style makes you you."

Mezoti tilted her head to the side, "I think I understand." Mezoti then started to rub her stomach, "I think my body is in need of some nutrients,"

"Well then let's go find you something to eat." Trance smiled, "Do you have a favorite food?"

"I think I like Leola root. Seven says it is good for me." Mezoti sighed

"Well I don't think we have any leola root. And just because it is good for you doesn't mean it should be your favorite." Trance reminded as she took Mezoti to the mess hall.

In the mess hall Trance showed Mezoti everything they had in the pantry. Mezoti found a Cali melon, "This looks very spherical, can I eat it?"

"You can have a slice, but it shouldn't be the only thing you eat for breakfast." Trance said setting the melon down.

"What do you like to eat, maybe I can try that?" Mezoti asked looking at Trance.

"Oh I don't know about that. I eat only a little bit of this food. My species receives nourishment in many different ways." Trance said as she looked about for other foods.

"I think I understand, you're like species 135, they receive nourishment from consuming various gasses. They made effective drones because of their ability to remove poisonous gasses from any environment." Mezoti stated.

Trance paused and looked at the girl, "I guess so." Trance sighed, "Except I don't eat different gasses."

Dylan walked in, "This is a sight for sore eyes, Trance in the mess hall."

"Mezoti was hungry, unfortunately she unfamiliar with our food supply and doesn't know what she should eat." Trance nodded to where Mezoti stood.

Dylan poured himself a cup of coffee before reaching to the back of a shelf and pulled out a hidden box. "Just put it back before Harper wakes up."

"Perfect, I have heard that cereal is always a favorite of children," Trance smiled.

"Exactly why Harper has it hidden here, so Rommie won't throw it away and the rest of the crew won't steal it." Dylan smiled.

"Harper is a bit of a child himself." Trance said getting out a bowl and pouring some of the flakey mixture into a bowl.

Beka walked in and saw what Trance was doing as she poured herself some coffee. "I wouldn't let Harper see that. He is very possessive of his cereal. You definitely shouldn't take his plastic toy from the bottom either."

Trance looked into the box, "Those things really exist?"

Rommie walked in, "They exist, I have thrown numerous ones out when cleaning Harper's quarters."

Tyr walked in with a growl. As he grabbed a protein shake.

"Good to see you Tyr. You have been quite scarce the last few days." Dylan said as he sat in a chair.

"I have been doing some research." Tyr replied

Trance brought Mezoti out to a table where she set down the bowl of cereal, a slice of Cali melon and a glass of juice.

Mezoti spotted Tyr and stepped back, "I don't recognize his species other than that admiral on the planet."

"Mezoti Tyr is just a Nietzschean, he won't hurt you. Tyr show her how nice you can be." Beka nodded

Tyr bent over and smiled, "What is your name little one?"

"My designation is Mezoti and I am eight years old, I am not little." Mezoti stated as she looked at the food Trance had given her.

Tyr left shaking his head.

Mezoti stated, "I don't like him, his smile was fake. He is not a nice man. My enhanced visual acuity also showed he was lying to you earlier"

Trance went back and started cleaning up her mess from making Mezoti's breakfast. When she came out after putting Harper's cereal away she whispered to Mezoti and handed her something.

"Trance you didn't!" Beka shook her head.

Harper walked in and promptly reached for his cereal. "Alright who has been into MY cereal?" Harper saw Mezoti, "Trance!"

"She needed to eat something, she is eight years old." Trance argued, "Dylan gave it to me!"

"Thanks for throwing me under the bus Trance." Dylan raised his hands.

"No… I don't believe that. Dylan can't find his toothbrush without Rommie's help. You on the other hand, Trance, can find anything you want without even guessing." Harper accused Trance.

"Actually Dylan knew where you kept your stash. I showed him one night when he wanted a late night snack." Rommie confessed

Harper looked into the box and then looked at Trance and Mezoti before putting his cereal back on the shelf and leaving the mess hall. "I have more work to finish on the other units."

"What do you want to bet that his cereal will not be there tomorrow?" Beka laughed.

Rommie looked to Dylan, "What is your plan for today?"

"Well I woke up this morning to a message on my desk about a mission we leave for tomorrow. We have seen that Tarazed is taking well to being the house of the New System's commonwealth, so now we resume our duties." Dylan relayed. "So Beka, I know you have to take Mezoti back to her people on Tarazed but I need you to move the Andromeda this morning. We are leaving the system so Andromeda can play with some really rich asteroids."

Trance looked at Dylan, "What about Mezoti?"

"She will come with us and then once we are secured down and Andromeda is busy, You, Beka and Harper will return to Tarazed with Mezoti." Dylan informed.

"May I see Beka Pilot?" Mezoti asked looking at Dylan.

"Rommie do you have any objections?" Dylan asked

"As long as she can keep her hands to herself. You are just moving me, we shouldn't be going into a hostile situations."

Mezoti looked a little confused and Rommie's words and Beka explained, "Mezoti, Rommie is the ship, while also being a crew member. The Andromeda Ascendant is a sentient ship and she thinks and acts as a member of the crew." Mezoti nodded and finished her breakfast.

"Then let's move the ship!" Beka said standing up from her cup of coffee.

Mezoti hung onto Beka as they walked to command. Beka left her at the railing above the command stations. "Stay here and don't move. Make sure you hold onto the railing."

Beka went to the center station and activated the station.

Rommie walked on the deck, "Preparing to leave orbit." She joined Dylan in the left station while Tyr and Trance took the right hand station and Beka stood alone in the middle section.


	9. Returning Mezoti

AN: This chapter is unbeta'd if anyone would like to adopt a chapter and beta it, I will gladly accept the help.

* * *

><p><strong>Returning Mezoti<strong>

An Ensign stood up from the communications booth in the refugee housing and took with him a flexi that had just had a message downloaded to it.

Going up to the top floor her knocked on the door to the apartment the command staff had moved into.

Captain Janeway opened the door and let him in.

"I have a message for a Captain Janeway." He reported

"That is me." Janeway responded to the ensign.

"I just received a message from the Andromeda Ascendant. Would you like to read it yourself or should I?" The ensign asked

"I haven't quite gotten the hang of the written language around here. Please read it if you are able to." Janeway nodded.

"Captain Janeway, I am sending this notice to inform you that we will be delayed in returning the child known as Mezoti back to you. We have received orders that require us to remove the Andromeda from orbit so we can refuel and reload our armory. To maximize our time and our crews abilities we will take the child out to the asteroid field with us and bring her back in the Maru once we are secured and battened down. Rommie out." The ensign finished reading the letter.

"Do you know how far this Asteroid field is from Tarazed?" Janeway asked of the ensign.

"Distance is very hard to judge when you use slipstream, they could just be going to a neighboring system or they could go to the other side of the Galaxy in just one jump." The ensign reported, "Going to the other side of the galaxy could actually be a shorter jump than jumping to the next system. It is up to the pilot and their interpretation of the strings."

"So you have no idea when they could return with my charge?" Janeway asked.

"Well it will have to be today because their orders are very clear that they deploy and join a freedom fighters taskforce tomorrow morning first thing to try and free a strategically placed Guard station." The ensign sighed, "if we can take that then we will be able to strike out at many slave worlds without flinching. That would make our day." The ensign used his hands to describe the plan. "It would be our first major victory for the Newly reborn systems commonwealth, a day we have been looking forward to for over three hundred years."

"You seem very energetic about this." Janeway said.

"I should be, I have been asked to join the crew of the Andromeda. After my shift I will take a transport with about one hundred other officers to join the Andromeda and Captain Hunt's crew." The ensign said proudly, "there is no greater honor then to be chosen for this."

"I have gathered that he seems to be greatly revered among the people of this planet." Janeway commented.

The ensign fell silent before commenting, "You have no idea just how revered he is captain. I unfortunately am needed elsewhere."

"Before you go do you think you could put in a word with a commanding officer to see if my crew can have a little time outside at somepoint. We are experiencing a few people who are starting to have cabin fever." Janeway asked

"I will see what can be done." The ensign nodded as he left the room.

Mezoti watched as the blue glowing hole in space grew and sucked the Maru in. Beka said she couldn't sit and help pilot slipstream but that she could watch by standing just behind the pilot's seat if she held on tight. She made sure to do so as she had nearly fallen over when they hand entered the slipstream on the Andromeda.

As the ship went inside the hole she looked behind at Rommie and Trance who were sitting at the stations behind. The person she had only seen at breakfast for a few minutes that had been identified as being designated Harper was in the back part of the ship with the repaired alcoves.

"Why are you coming along Rommie? I thought Dylan would keep you with him and Tyr on the ship?" Trance asked once the ship had settled into the slipstream.

"Dylan had a second thought and thought it a wise idea for me to come along and keep Harper in line. We all know what happens if Harper is allowed to remain unchecked around new people." Rommie answered Trance.

Beka reached over and deactivated the slip stream, "Alright assistant pilot Mezoti you want to help me pilot this ship planet side."

Mezoti moved around the pilots seat and sat in Beka's lap much as she had before and Beka wrapped her hands over Mezoti's so that she was still in control of the ship. "Mezoti it is very important that when I have to remove my hands from the controls that you do not press move your hand at all."

Mezoti nodded and replied, "Aye, aye Captain."

Tom sat in the grass outside the apartments and picked at it. "What was it like yesterday getting off Tarazed?"

Be'Lanna sighed, "I didn't get to see anything. We stayed in a place called a machine shop except for when we visited the ships sickbay."

"Well at least we get some outside time today." Tom leaned back in the grass. Tarazed is a really beautiful planet. If we find we are stuck here I am pretty sure I could find something to like about this world.  
>Tom said.<p>

"Yes if you count the entire crew being given an hour on this little stretch of grass outside our prison." Be'Lanna said laying back in the grass only to sit right back up when she heard a somewhat familiar voice.

"Mezoti, slow down, we don't have to run all the way across the city you know!"

"Well look who is back on her feet." Tom said as he and Be'Lanna stood up at the sight of the young girl returning.

"She is looking quite energetic. Whatever you did you sure put the spark in her jump." Be'Lanna commented as Trance came closer.

"No, I may have given her too much sugar for breakfast." Trance shook her head.

Tom laughed, "That would do it for anyone, not to mention a child who has had such a restricted diet because her caretaker looks only at nutritional value. I am Lieutenant Tom Paris by the way, I don't think we have been formally introduced yet?"

"I am Trance Gemini. I should be getting inside with Mezoti, I need to check out the other children. If you could help direct Harper, Rommie and Beka where to bring the units that would be a great help." Trance nodded as she followed Mezoti past the security checkpoint.

Harper walked up pushing a grav-cart with one unit on it while Rommie pushed another that had two and Beka pushed a third and final cart with the last one on it. "I told you I could make them work." Harper said proudly as he stood in front of Be'Lanna.

"You are the person everyone has been referring to as Harper?" Tom said sizing the little man up and down.

"Yes, I may not be much to look at but I am super smart and I mean super smart. Tell them how smart I am Rommie oh my Rommie?" Harper smiled at the android.

"Smart enough to fit your oversized ego, but just barely." Rommie sighed.

"Ok, now you just wound me!" Harper shook his head, "She won't fess up but I created her you know!"

"You designed this body, you didn't create me. There is a difference." Rommie protested refusing to be put on display for harper's benefit. "Harper, Dylan didn't send me here so you could show me off and make me seem subservient to you, I could be back on the Andromeda doing a thousand other things."

"No you are doing a thousand things right now. The only difference is that on the ship you would be also talking to Dylan. You are currently thinking of a thousand ways you could kill Harper and not be the one at blame." Beka shook her head as she came in on the discussion.

Rommie looked at Harper, "Now that is a really great idea."

Harper ran around the back of Beka, "Boss, how could you give her that idea!"

Tom saw Harper's data port, "What is that stuck to your neck?"

"Has no one from wherever you are from ever seen a Dataport!" Harper said frustrated at the hazing. "It is a device that has been implanted into my brain to allow me to instantaneously connect with any computer network I come across. Now will you show me to where you need these things?"

Be'Lanna gestured into the building, "up on the eighth floor."

Inside the building Tom looked at the elevator, "I will ride up with Rommie if you would like and you can bring the other two up."

"Be my guest Tom. Have a blast." Be'Lanna said waving him into the elevator with Rommie.

Tom looked over at Rommie as the doors closed, "So you are an android? What is that like?"

"Actually I am a warship. But still the concept is the same, I enjoy being faster and stronger than the person next to me. Rommie replied as she looked in Tom's direction.

Tom stepped as far away from Rommie as the elevator would allow.

"Don't worry I wouldn't try anything in this elevator. Just so you know I may be an AI but I do have a sense of humor. I have been accused of having a warped sense of humor but it is still a sense of humor." Rommie smiled as she chuckled at her companion trying to claw his way out of the elevator.

"Oh that makes me feel so much better about this situation. An android slash warship with a warped sense of humor." Tom muttered

"I won't tell you what I was just thinking then." Rommie smiled as the doors opened and Tom burst out of the elevator and into the livingroom of the apartment.

Captain Janeway looked up from the couch where she was working on a jigsaw puzzle with Naomi. "Lieutenant what is going on?"

"I may have ticked off a certain warship and she is coming after me." Tom said backing into his shared bedroom.

Rommie pushed the cart into the room and stopped, "I am not after him. He is even more skittish than Harper after I have been putting ideas into him."

Tom came out of his room just in time for Harper and Beka to push their carts into the room.

Harper stopped short and stared at the corner of the living room, "Is that what I think it is?"

Tom followed the little man's gaze, "that is my antique…"

"Television! I have only ever read about them. My cousins and I would spend the time hiding from the slavers when we were really young by pretending that the empty munitions boxes were Televisions. It is quite an honor to actually see one." Harper said stepping close to it while investigating the item.

Rommie and Beka both cleared their throats. "Harper we have work to get done."

"Trance is in the third bedroom with the other children." Janeway said pointing to the other side of the apartment.

Upon entering the room Icheb stood and looked at the grav-carts. it was apparent that he had something to say about the redesign but he was starting to weaken from his lack of regeneration.

Rommie started setting up the four extra bed frames that had been standing against the wall having been delivered to the room but till now not needed.

Beka helped organize the room to attempt to take up as little space as five beds had to take up in a confined space.


	10. Early Mornings

**Early Mornings**

Mezoti snapped up out of her regeneration cycle and reached over to shake Naomi awake.

"Mezoti, it is way too early!" Naomi turned over and pulled her blankets over her head.

"We are required to report to school today!" Mezoti stated, "we need to get up and get ready for school."

"Leave me alone for a little while!" Naomi groaned and curled up in a ball.

Mezoti marched over to the control panel on the wall and pushed the button to open the shades on the window. The room flooded with bright light.

Icheb blinked his eyes as he disconnected and sat up as did Azan and Rebi. Naomi threw her covers off of her and threw her pillow in Mezoti's direction before jumping out of the bed and running out of the room. She was found a short while later curled up in her mother's bed.

Mezoti was about to try and wake her up again however Sam interviened, "Let her sleep, you still have over two hours until school begins. It is only 0600 hours. School doesn't begin until 0800 hours. Lieutenant Torres is still asleep in there. Come over to the couch and you can review the books you were given."

About a half hour later Neelix found his way back to the apartment. "I have been scouring this building to see if we have any more of that leola root extract that came with us. I was hoping to send the children off to school with a very old, traditional and favorite dish."

The children saw Lieutenant Paris silently give thanks for the fact that the Leola root was finally gone in a very non discrete manner.

"So I have decided I will experiment with some of that cali melon we have been receiving by the truckload with our food deliveries. I just spent the morning wandering around asking the security officers what some of their favorite cali melon dishes are. I have decided to go with a cali melon breakfast soufflé" Neelix described his culinary delight.

Tom started to look sick, "Ok I think my teeth are hurting from that idea."

"Lieutenant don't wound me like that. I have been assured that this is a very popular dish." Neelix said setting out the ingredients.

"Tell me in your research this morning did you actually hear breakfast and soufflé in the same sentence?" Tom asked looking at the ingredients.

"Well no but my question was favorite breakfast food so unless their translators weren't working this morning I am assuming they gave me a favorite food they eat for breakfast." Neelix defended.

Mezoti piped up, "I like Cali melon. It is very spherical but it is very sweet and juicey."

"Thank you Mezoti for the input on the fruit." Neelix said nodding to the girl. "Will you give it a try Lieutenant?"

"Fine, what is one more dish? I have been trying your food for six years now." Tom gave in and walked away.

Naomi wandered out of her mother's room and wiped her eyes. "Is it almost breakfast time?"

"Neelix is just getting around to preparing it for us." Icheb responded, "I have been drilling Mezoti on her common alphabet, you should review as well."

Naomi made a disgusted face, "If I have to."

Sam looked at her daughter, "It would be a very good idea sweet heart. This school isn't going to be anything like the lessons you attended to on Voyager."

Captain Janeway walked in carrying five packages. "What is for breakfast Mr. Neelix?"

"I am going to attempt making a cali melon soufflé." Neelix said moving about the kitchen area.

Janeway patted the Talaxian on the shoulder. "while I would enjoy to taste this Cali Melon soufflé, I think you should go a little easier for their first morning of school. The soufflés I have had experience with take quite a while to cook. How about pancakes?"

"I don't know if I am familiar with that dish." Neelix replied.

Captain Janeway set down the packages and reached for some flour milk and eggs. "Here let me, you can make the soufflé for the rest of us."

The captain rolled up her sleeves and began mixing up the concoction.

Naomi got up from the couch where she was practicing to investigate finding the captain's domestic skills far more entertaining than studying early in the morning. "You're not going to burn them are you?"

Janeway stifled a laugh knowing where the girl came from. Naoim had hung around the her so much in the last year that she knew more than she ought to about all the burnt replicator food. "I might be a horrible chef when it comes to the replicators however when I was twelve I won the blue ribbon at the county fair for the best pancakes" Janeway finished mixing the batter and looked around, "Neelix do you mind if I take a few spoonful's of that fruit for the pancakes?"

"Of course captain, take whatever you need. You put fruit into this dish?" Neelix offered her the bowl of fruit he had been chopping.

"You can put anything into it, fruit, nuts, chocolate or you can just eat them plain." Janeway described as she mixed in the chopped fruit after tasting a piece, "this is a very good fruit, I am sure your soufflé will be wonderful Mr. Neelix."

Mezoti came over to the counter and picked at a piece of fruit, "Cali Melon is very good. I think it is my new favorite food."

Icheb stood up and attempted to redirect the girls back to preparing for school. "You two should be attending to your studies. We need to be prepared for anything today. This will be a very new experience for all of us."

Naomi shook her head, "I want to watch the captain cook." Naomi looked at the captain, "I am still your assistant right?"

"You can be as long as you will help me." Janeway smiled at the young girl.

"Alright!" Naomi perked up, "what do you need help with?"

"Get Icheb to help you set the table," Janeway responded, "you need to get out the butter from the refrigerator and five plates, knives and forks and… shoot"

"And shoot?" Naomi tilted her head to the side.

"Neelix what do we have in the way of honey, molasses or even maple syurp?"

"I don't think we have any of that…" Neelix paused, "wait this came for you last night via a courier. I tried to hand it to you but you were busy and told me to find a use for it. I believe the courier said it was maple syurp."

Janeway dropped the spoon that had contained some batter that had been meant for the frying pan back into the mixing bowl. Taking the card that Neelix handed her alongside the large jug. Opening the letter she read the text to herself which was not written in common for once.

_Dear Katherine,_

_I was at the marketplace on Vaster Drift and my engineer, Seamus Harper found this at a small vender's table. He said it was very popular on Earth in some of the northern regions when the planet was free. I never asked where on the planet you were from in your universe but I hope you like maple syrup. I would like to think of this as a token of a friendship._

_Captain Dylan Hunt._

_P.S. I unfortunately had to have Rommie write this as I never learned the classical style of writing. Be glad though that I didn't have Harper scribe for me, I never would have known what he would have written._

Janeway folded the letter back up and stuck it into her pocket. Grabbing a clean spoon she opened the jug and dipped it in before drawing it back out and tasting the syrup. "Ensign your from Vermont right?"

"Originally, before I moved to the Ktaris when I was a teenager." Sam said coming over to the counter.

Janeway grabbed another spoon and handed it to Sam, "taste this and tell me if it is what I think it really is."

Sam took the spoon and dipped it into the jug. "It is real one hundred percent maple syrup and it is of the highest quality. My grandfather owned a tree farm and he made maple syrup"

Janeway finished making the pancakes and then split them evenly between the five places at the table. After calling the children over and they had placed some of the butter on the pancakes as she instructed she poured a generous portion of the syrup over each stack.

As the children all ate the pancakes she sat with an extra that she had made so that she could try the syrup.

Rebi looked up and saw the forgotten package back near the door, "what was in the packages you brought in?"

Azan agreed with his brother.

Janeway remembering the packages stood up and brought them over to the table. "this was delivered last night but I just picked it up while I was doing my rounds checking on the rest of the crew."

Naomi peaked into the package, "what is it?"

"Your new school uniforms, after you finish eating you should go get changed." Janeway informed, "You are attending Hunt Memorial and I have been told the colors are navy blue and grey. Mezoti and Naomi you have grey plaid skirts with a choice of Navy blue or grey leggings, a navy blue polo shirt and a grey sweater. Icheb, Azan and Rebi you have navy blue pants, a grey polo and a navy blue sweater. I have been told that there is other options and combinations however this is what the school sent you for your first day. Each of you also have a pair of brown dress shoes and blue or grey socks which I was told expressly to tell you that you can't mix and match. Naomi and Mezoti you choose to wear either the sock or the leggings."

Mezoti sighed, "You mean we have to go to school all dressed the same? I thought you wanted us to be individuals."

"Style is irrelevant." Icheb scolded the girl.

"Trance told me that style is very relevant and that I should embrace my own style." Mezoti countered back.

Sam intervened, "Mezoti, you can dress however you want in your free time. schools often offer a uniform to help you and other students learn. If they tell you what to wear then it has been found that children learn better because they aren't as distracted with what other students are wearing. I always wore a uniform when I was in school and trust me these are much better than what was offered at my school."


	11. School means Uniforms

**School means Uniforms**

Mezoti tugged at her skirt as she walked down the side of the street next to Naomi, "I don't like the thought that I am going to be dressed just like everyone else in the school. It feels like this planet is sending me back to the collective."

"My mom explained why this school has uniforms. I don't like dressing like everyone else but I am thinking of it this way, I will be the only Ktarian at the school most likely. You will most likely be the only Norcadian that is where we have out individuality." Naomi reasoned

"I guess," Mezoti sighed.

"What I wish was that my Mom could have walked with me to school. On earth that is what parents do with their children." Naomi said.

Mezoti reasoned with Naomi, "We have Icheb to keep us safe on the walk to school."

"I guess," Naomi frowned.

A girl ran past them as they turned down the street that they had been told their school was located on. "You should watch where you are going." She replied as she shoved past.

Mezoti eyed the outfit the girl was wearing, "How come she doesn't need to wear the school uniform?"

"She is wearing the uniform of the lancer club." A new voice said from behind as all five turned towards the new voice. "Sorry about my sister, today is her birthday and our Father is still on the Andromeda. I am Rasha Joy and that is my younger sister Kesha Hope."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Rasha, We are new to the school."

"I know, everyone in school has been talking about you. It is not often that other species other than humans or Nietzscheans come to Hunt Memorial. Although my name is Rasha Joy, I don't really like going by anything else. Can I help you find anything?"

"We were told we need to go to the school office, do you know where that is?" Naomi asked looking at the older girl.

"Of course I do. Everyone knows where the big bad wolf lives." Rasha Joy snorted

Mezoti looked at the girl's uniform as they walked together into the school, "what is lancer club? I really like your uniform."

"It is Tarazed's version of the ROTC, from what I have been told earth used that program in the pre-commonwealth to get people to sign up for the military. If you joined their program they would pay for you to go to any secondary school you wanted as long as after completing the program you would donate a given number of years to the service." Rasha Joy described, "However on Tarazed it works a little differently, instead of going to any school you want it allows you easy access to the academy of your choice thus bypassing the whole the best of the best which the Commonwealth was able to afford doing seeing as it was one million member worlds strong."

"So you enjoy being in this club?" Azan asked her.

"Not really, Kesha Hope and I are in it because our father wants it that way." Rasha Joy announced.

"Can I join? Mezoti asked

"Are you thirteen? That is the youngest age you can officially join the club. Although every now and then if there is a student they really like they will let them be a groupie." Rasha explained, "The lancer club isn't really my cup of tea but if any of you are over thirteen and you want to check us out, you can come as my guest to the gym right after the last class of the day."

"If you join do you wear that uniform all the time?" Rebi asked.

"No only on days that you have an official competition. We have a half hour practice this afternoon and then we board a transport to compete at Starry Wisdom academy." Rasha explained, "I am dreading the night, Starry wisdom is our biggest rivals and they like to cheat just to make themselves look better. But you just can't win against a school that is seventy percent Nietzschean."

Once they were inside the school she led them to the office but as they got close a man jumped out of no where, "Rasha Joy Smith I thought I said I didn't want to see you near my office."

"Relax Princie, I was just showing the new kids to the office. I didn't do anything this time. I want to stay in the lancer club to please my Dad don't I?" Rasha Joy replied with a smile.

"I don't trust you two." The man replied, "now get to class I can take it from here."

Rasha Joy ran off and called back, "I will see you at the end of the day in the gym."

"I am Principal Dublin, I would like to welcome you to my school and I would like to warn you of the likes of Rasha Joy and her sister. If it wasn't for the fact that their father went hard on them and made them join the lancer club for the duration of his deployment they would be expelled right now. I do not tolerate misconduct at my school." The man replied, "If you will follow me you can begin your placement tests."

Inside the office they were directed to sit spaced out around a conference table and each given a stack of four flexi's a young woman in her early twenties sat at the end, "You have all day to finish the tests. If you need more time we can give it to you in the following days but you should try your hardest to finish today. Because you are listed as not being native speakers we have translated all but your common test into your native language. You will all be assigned a mandatory supplemental common language class that will meet seven days a week. You will be assigned supplemental lessons as the rest of your tests indicate. You may begin."

"The test questions will appear one at a time in a random order so that you will not be able to cheat." The princepal responded, "when you are done with one test return the flexi to Miss Diamond and return to your seat to start the next one. I will return when it is time for your lunch break."

Just as the final bell rang Naomi handed in her final test. She didn't know how well she had done compared to Mezoti or the others but she hoped she had studied enough to not be at her age level.

Leaving the room Naomi found Mezoti sitting in a chair waiting for her. "where is Icheb, Azan and Rebi?" she asked.

"They went to check out the Lancer Club. You and I have to walk back alone I guess." Mezoti frowned, "I hated the thought of when Icheb almost left us but I hate the thought of walking through this strange city without him."

"We will be alright, I am sure we can think of something to do while we walk." Naomi smiled, "Did they tell you how you did?"

"No they said they will tell us in the morning when we come to school so that it is fair." Mezoti wrinkled her nose, "I don't like waiting though."

Icheb led the way into the office the next morning. To be stopped by Miss Diamond. "I will take you to your home rooms." She handed them each a flexi, "this will be your class schedules. Tardiness is highly frowned on so pay attention as you go from class to class today and learn the way to each of your classes."

"Icheb you have been assigned to year twelve for math and science in the morning with a lunch period of eleven hundred hours. After which you will attend a five day a week supplementary history class with the other four children which will then transfer into a seven day a week supplementary common class. You will be expected to pick up a few supplementary classes for math and science, talk to your teachers and they will schedule you in." Miss Diamond instructed outside one of the first classrooms.

"Azan and Rebi, you have been assigned to year nine and have ,uch the same schedule as Icheb." Miss Diamond left them by the door of a year nine room and then led Mezoti and Naomi to another room in another wing, "You two have both been assigned to a year three room. You will have a similar schedule except that you will remain soley in this room until your lunch period at ten hundred hours which is then followed by an hour of gym class. In between your two supplementary classes you will rejoin year three for a snack break in the cafeteria."


	12. Part 2: Old Friends Return

Jigglypuff: Alright first off I prefer answering reviews in review replies but I will answer your review here. If you would like to debate this further with me I would be more then welcome to message back and forth with you. :) Basically I am not going to be touching on the whole subject of school as school is not a primary focus of this story. I basically wanted to show that the crew was integrating into society in various ways. in future chapters you will find out the fate of the rest of the crew and what they decide to do. however I have years of time to make up for so I am not going to sit around and describe out daily living routines for the entire crew going day by day. You will find in future chapters that Mezoti's doctor is very involved and keeps a close eye on her Borg physiology and the person who becomes Mezoti's legal guardian watches her like a hawk. meanwhile for this chapter it takes place about a year after the final episode of Andromeda.

* * *

><p>Old Friends Return<p>

Dylan walked through the airlock and set his bag down, "Andromeda are you there?"

"I was surprised to hear that you had chosen to return to my command." The hologram appeared.

"I tried the whole civilian thing for a month and I just wasn't feeling it. After three hundred years I believe my place is here with you." Dylan smiled

"Welcome aboard captain, it is good to have you back." The hologram saluted him.

"Is our crew assembled and ready for my inspection." Dylan inquired.

"with you aboard I am accounting for a crew of three thousand nine hundred ninety nine, we are one short of my full compliment." Andromeda said appearing on the small view screen next to the airlock.

The hologram of Andromeda turned to her core personality, "we are missing-"

Andromeda was cut off by the airlock opening, "Commander Beka Valentine reporting for duty." The person saluted Dylan.

"Beka… Commander… this is totally unlike you." Dylan scratched his head.

"Don't read anything into it Dylan, nothing has changed between us. I just heard you were resuming command of the baddest warship in the known worlds and I wanted in however because the commonwealth is fully formed I had to agree to a commission and a rank change. Thanks to all your tutelage I was able to pass the exams required by the academy." Beka reported, "I hope you know I will only salute you and all that mumbo jumbo to impress the crew and the brass, when it is just you and the ship."

"I wouldn't want it any other way. If you started saluting me like every other crew member I would begin to suspect Harper's theories about brain swapping aliens." Dylan sighed, "report to your station I will be commencing crew inspections momentarily."

"Aye, Dylan!" Beka saluted.

Dylan proceeded through to the main corridor to find Rommie and to his surprise Telemachus Rhade.

"Rhade what are you doing here I was supposed to meet my new first officer here." Dylan looked around.

"Captain, you are looking at him, first officer commander Telemachus Rhade." Rommie nodded.

"No according to my orders I was to receive Commander Nicolai Khalid as my first officer." Dylan said looking down at the standing orders still clutched in his hand.

"I was able to get him reassigned temporarily. I still hold a little pull left from my old rank of Admiral. I heard you were taking command of the ship again and like Beka I wanted in." Rhade nodded his head, "You can't bury me yet Captain."

"Well, welcome aboard Commander Rhade, I look forward to sharing my command with you." Dylan saluted the Nietzschean

"Rommie who else is onboard?" Dylan asked as they set out on the inspection.

"Captain you are retaining Lieutenant Seamus Zelazny Harper and his assistant Doyle. Also because I can't seem to get her to leave Trance has signed on as a medical consultant although I don't know if she is actually up to par with how she used to be, she still seems a little off, if I may be so frank." Rommie reported.

"Lead the way and announce our inspection." Dylan ushered her on.

Rommie entered Dylan's office, "Captain you requested my presence?"

"At ease Rommie." Dylan said standing up, "I have some questions for you and I want you to answer them as my friend and not as the ships avatar."

"Dylan?" Rommie looked confused.

"When I approached the high council about returning to command another ship I never thought I would be paired back up with you." Dylan said standing up looking into Rommie's eyes. "Last communication I had with you were receiving a new captain, Captain Hazra if I am not mistaken."

"He and I were unable to see eye to eye. He was contemplating having me rewired so I rebelled on him. He reported me and I lodged a formal protest as a citizen of the Commonwealth about how I should be treated with more respect as the founding ship of the New System's commonwealth. That is apparently about the same time you agreed to come back." Rommie explained

"So you didn't specifically request me as your captain?" Dylan asked.

"No I respected your wishes to try and enjoy life for once. You felt you had done your service and you just wanted to relax." Rommie inclined her head, "If you wish I can request another command transfer."

"No, Rommie, this is where I am supposed to be. I don't think I could be the captain of another ship. I was willing to try but it is just right that I am here. We have been together for so long that we just need to remain this way. You and I work well together. Not too mention you have gotten Beka to actually agree to salute me and Harper to actually follow some form of protocol. I call that a near miracle." Dylan nodded.

"Captain I didn't do anything. I think they believe in you more than they thought they did in order to make those sacrifices to their own lifestyle. I have to say having you all back feels good."

The Andromeda had just docked at the Sierra drift orbiting the planet Azul. Azul had just recently reestablished its ties with the Commonwealth. The Andromeda had approached them before but they had refused saying they would not acknowledge a commonwealth that did not have a Vedran Empress.

Harper disembarked to shop around for supplies for his personal projects. Even as a Lieutenant in the commonwealth and having to now follow all the dumb protocols he had disregarded before he was still attending to his own self-gratifying projects in his spare time. walking around the drift he looked for cheap bargain.

While looking at a few specialized converters that were out of his personal price range he over heard a few people talking about a traveling Nietzschean holding an auction with reasonable prices expected.

Setting down the items he went to the section where the Nietzschean was setting up shop. He browsed with a few other people until he saw the pride markings of the Nietzschean. Harper promptly left the area and observed what was going on. Gasping as he saw one of the assistants leading a man in shackles into the back he promptly found a very secure hiding place in which he placed a transmission to the Andromeda.

"_Hey Dylan, you might want to come check out the auction in section C9. As far as I know we are currently the only High guard ship docked here so that gives you jurisdiction. You are going to want to bring a taskforce with you as well I think the auctioneer is dealing illegally in Commonwealth space."_

Harper waited patiently until Rommie came up to him. "Why do you suspect this individual of illegal dealing."

"Uhh, Rommie are your circuit fried, the Auctioneer is Drago katsov and I am highly certain that he is holding an illegal slave trading auction in the back." Harper described.

Rommie and Harper returned to Dylan who was standing with a few Lancers "Captain we should proceed with an inspection of the Nietzschean's wares. Harper believes there are slaves being sold here."

Dylan sighed and holstered his force lance and took off his vest. "Stand down." He ordered to the men. Going to the auctioneer, "I have received a complaint and as the sole representative of the Commonwealth I need to do a full investigation into your wares. This drift is now commonwealth territory."

"Feel free Captain Hunt, I doubt you will find anything illegal around here. Unless selling the repossessed collectables of a foreclosed estate is illegal." The Nietzschean smiled.

Dylan did a thorough search of the whole booth and regrouped with Harper, "There is nothing illegal here."

Harper kicked a section of the wall, "While you were busy sorting through the nice Nietzschean's wares I hacked his file and found this." The wall opened up to reveal a narrow room of beaten and bruised slaves chained to a wall.

The Nietzschean came around a corner, "what is this, you planted a slave trade in my back room? You are just looking for an excuse to get rid of me."

"Oh go cry me a river." Harper said standing up the Nietzschean. "I found a little gem of a file hidden behind several firewalls in your computer registry. Rommie can you authenticate that the file is original?"

Rommie looked at the file on the computer screen. It is, you left Nietzschean space with fifty slaves and this is your first stop. By my count you only have forty five slaves in this room. Which means unless five slaves escaped you have illegally sold five slaves here in commonwealth space."

The Nietzschean sighed, "I haven't sold any slaves. I was not intending on selling any in commonwealth space. I just needed to unload a few of my other wares before I went where I wouldn't get good prices on them. Five attempted to escape, they are in a separate room in the back. I read the rules as long as you didn't know I had them I wasn't violating any laws."

"Technically yes you were. It is illegal to even have a slave in your possession in the Commonwealth. Technically these slaves are your property making them your possessions. If you had left your ship outside this drift then it wouldn't have been illegal but since you are docked with the drift it is very much illegal." Dylan explained, "I am going to have to take you into custody."

Harper walked through the room with a couple lancers removing the shackles from arms while another lancer retrieved and transported the freed slaves to medical centers.

Harper opened the door to the back chambed and nearly passed out at the sight he saw. The five slaves had been beaten to an inch of their lives and were hanging by their arms from the ceiling.

As the five were being extracated from their bonds harper nearly couldn't imagine what he saw, "Take this one to the Andromeda."

Rommie came up to Harper, "the freed slaves are being taken care of by the drift medical center we have no jurisdiction to take any of them with us."

"Rommie look at that man and tell me you don't recognize him. We need to question him." Harper sighed, "if he can pull through."

Rommie looked at the man, "Is that your cousin Brendan?"


	13. New Deal

**AN: **So here is the reminder, this story is going unbeta'd I will attempt to go through and catch any big mistakes. if anyone would like to beta a chapter feel free to do that and I will give you credit in chapters that you beta. contact me if you would be interested. I also apologize to anyone who is reading this and is disapointed that I am not updating regulary. I will update as I see that people have interest in the story or try to update once a week at least but I have been busy with other things lately.

* * *

><p><strong>New Deal<strong>

Janeway stood up to answer the knock on the door. It had been eighteen months since the crew had been stranded on the planet. Various members of the crew had been given access to a nearby lab and had been working for the last month on finding a way back to Voyager or even their own Earth.

Five months prior they had faced an uncertain future when it had looked like Tarazed had found its match in the magog. However by some miracle the Andromeda had come to the rescue even though it had been scorned by several factions of the commonwealth for some decisions the captain had reportedly made.

Icheb had joined the Home Guard as he had all intention of attending one of the military academies. he wasn't going to let being stuck on Tarazed get in his way of following his dreams. Traditionally people served the homeguard at a station away from their home district but special consideration had been made and Icheb served at the local station while living in the apartment. What had surprised much of the crew was that the last year he had become more interested in following a command track rather than a science one.

Opening the door Janeway found the newly elected triumvir who took the vacant spot left by Tri Gemma's death. "Welcome Tri Rajni, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"This is not a social visit. As you know I was elected after the war to take the place left by Tri Gemma's death. I have spent the last five months getting everything in order and straightening out the affairs which were not taken care of. I was greatly alarmed to see the budget Tri Gemma had approved for your comfort." The man said as he stepped into the apartment with his entourage.

"I don't know what to say. My crew and I have been trying as hard as we can to find a way home. I have had some of the brightest minds from my crew working around the clock in that science lab to find a way home." Janeway replied.

"About that I am reworking my end of the budget and Tri Lorn and Tri Camille have both voted in favor of my modifications. As of twelve hundred hours your people will be cut off from the science labs." Tri Rajni announced.

"But some members of my crew feel they have made some breakthroughs. If we could just have a few more months." Janeway protested.

"You have had eighteen months. All your crew and our scientists have done is waste money determining that there was a surge of radiation when you appeared. I refuse to waste any more money funding such a project." Tri Rajni replied, "I however have an offer for you captain and your crew of course."

"Well I am listening." Janeway said with a noted lack of enthusiasm.

"I have been reading the files that you provided in exchange for this current offer. You and your crew are very experienced with the essential running of a spaceship. And there are several notes that your crew is comprised of the best this Starfleet could provide." Tri Rajni recited.

"Yes, you don't have to tell me, I know my crew we have been lost far from everything we knew for over seven years now." Janeway crossed her arms as she noted the last fact back to the Triumvir.

"Yes, well my point is that Tarazed could do with some extra personal to serve the military of the Commonwealth. Since the war we have been down on our numbers. People are worried that the unified Nietzschean fleet could gain power any day. We need a group of people who are already experienced."

"From what I have gathered from my correspondence with Captain Hunt of the Andromeda your tactics, policies and philosophies differ from Starfleet's." Janeway shook her head, "we would be no better than your green cadets."

"Maybe but, I know deep down inside you are itching to get back to the stars. I could get you a posting aboard a science vessel. You could then do all the research your heart desires. I have already talked to several of the recruiters and they have agreed that based on your files that after a year mentorship from an experienced officer they can offer you a full commission." Tri Rajni said, "If less than half of your crew chooses not to take this offer they can remain here with the refugee title albeit a few minor changes for the foreseeable future."

"What if more than half chooses to stay behind?" Janeway asked.

"I can make arrangements for your crew to settle down on a planet and make your own colony." Tri Rajni gave his counter offer.

"This is a matter that I cannot speak for my entire crew. You will need to speak with them over this matter." Janeway responded.

"I had anticipated that, Tri Cammile, Tri Lorn and I will be here at noon tomorrow. Make sure that all members of your crew asides from the children are present in the first floor lobby at that time." Tri Rajni finished.

Seamus ran into medical and dodged past the official medical crew. "You called Trance!"

Trance was standing in the cryo chamber room staring at the one occupied pod. "I think it may be time."

"Really!" Harper said excited, "It has been five months."

"I don't want you to get your hopes up too high." Trance shook her head, "He was very severely injured, the only way I could help him was with the cryo chamber. Still I may have been able to slowly repair his body but he was in Nietzschean slave camps for four years. There is no telling where he is mentally. The body is easy, the mind not so much."

"Well when are you going to do it?" Harper said bouncing up and down.

"I have already begun, his body is still fragile. It will take a few days to complete this." Trance replied as she pointed to the rising temperature. "It is only going to raise a degree every few hours and I have him so he will remain in a coma until I can assess his condition fully. I am sure if this was the old days I could have treated him in a few days at most."

"Call me of any changes, I want to be here for everything possible." Harper said stepping away, "I have a few enlisted personnel that I need to go order around. When you called they were daring to sit around and do nothing."

Harper started walking away but stopped and pulled something out of his pocket, "You asked me to give you this to me over a year ago, Commonwealth time, not my time and told me to give it to you when felt the time was right."

Trance took the item in her hands and looked at it. "why would I give you a data disk?"

"We have stored things for each other in the past. Andromeda notified me today that I had logged a request to be reminded about this item. I haven't watched the disk, but I believe you said when you handed it to me, there would be a time when it would be important. I hope I picked right, but you know my timing is very wrong most of the time." Harper babbled on.

Trance leaned in and kissed Harper on the cheek, "your timing is perfect I am sure!"

Janeway looked around the lobby. After telling the crew what was happening in the way of the meeting they had worked late into the night to reorganize the unused leftovers from Voyager so that they could stand in the lobby and all see the meeting platform that had been set up in front of the main doors out of the building.

Currently everyone was packed in shoulder to shoulder. The room was packed solid even if it was a large room. The elevator shaft and their supplies plus the platform and the Triumvirs guards the space vanished fast.

Tri Camille stood up, "As you know yesterday at noon we shut down the research laboratories that you were using. I regret that the decision was so sudden but unfortunately we got to reorganizing our budget. The money your lab was eating through a healthy size of the Commonwealth's research fund. Which no longer is less than one hundred planets but in the last few months exploded to closer to its original one million."

Tri Lorn came forward, "With the return of the Vedran's old members have finally realized that the Renewed system's commonwealth is for real. We are making changes in every department to make room for the resized Commonwealth."

Tri Rajni bowed his head slightly before beginning, "As you have probably heard from your captain, I approached her with an alternative to the currant living arrangements."

The crew nodded and uneasily affirmed the news.

"Over on the left is a charter, If you choose to accept the offer all you need to do is sign it. By signing it you affirm that you understand what the Commonwealth stands for, it will be available for the next few days but I know that one of the things you were asked to do was read the charter agreements a while ago." Tri Rajni backed up.

Tri Lorn addressed the crowd as the other two prepared to leave with their security teams, "Once you choose to accept a recruiter will be in touch to set up an interview and discuss your options. We will be in touch to discuss the options available to the rest of you in one week."

"Captain, what are you going to do?" Icheb asked as he sat with the former senior staff after getting in that evening.

"I have accepted although I made it clear that if less than half the staff accept then I will go with the majority of the crew. I have to say though the idea of being on a ship again is highly enticing." Janeway frowned slightly.

Tom smiled, "I accepted as well, I received notice that my interview is later this week but that I can go get familiar with the flight simulators as early as tomorrow."

Tuvok nodded, "I have refused. It is more logical for me to stay with the crew for the time being."

Be'Lanna shook her head, "I have refused, I think this is stupid, we should be trying to focus on getting home."

"Oh come on Be'Lanna," Tom poked, "You should join us, just think about it, you could go towards being an engineer, just think of all the new toys, you could finally get a handle on that slipstream drive. Maybe if you do this and we get back you can finally perfect the slipstream drive."

"Yes, Maquis you should go." Harry said pulling up her old nickname, "You have never met an engine you didn't like before. I have accepted as well, my interview is tomorrow."

Neelix looked shocked, "That soon?"

"I was surprised but that was what the com message for me was after dinner, apparently they really want to negotiate some changes, they are very pleased with my resume." Harry said equally surprised.

"I have accepted as well, I am going to negotiate for a rank change, no offense Captain but if they want me then I want to potentially have my own ship." Chakotay smiled.

"None taken commander, you were a captain before, I know you want a ship of your own." Janeway nodded

"I have refused, captain as I was never actually military. I am thinking of the children. I have heard that Ensign Wilman has accepted but is requesting a stationary posting so she can still be with Naomi but I worry about the other children." Neelix explained.

"Yes, Mezoti, Azan and Rebi have just found their own strides. To disrupt them much could be detrimental to their development as individuals." Janeway sighed

"Captain, what are you going to tell them. It isn't fair to not tell them about this move." Icheb frowned.

Janeway started,"I don't know what…"

"You don't know what Captain?" Mezoti said standing there behind the group.

Icheb stood up, "Mezoti what are you doing out of your alcove?"

"I was checking to see if you had come home yet. I do every night but you weren't in your bed so I decided to see what was keeping you." Mezoti frowned. "It is true though? I heard some people talking today about how the refugees were being moved, I told them they were lying but why?"

Icheb was ready to scold the younger girl for listening but Neelix stood up and guided Mezoti back to her room. "it is a confusing time for the adults right now sweetie. Go back to bed and finish regenerating so you can be one hundred percent for school. We promise to tell you everything as soon as we know what we are doing." Neelix tucked her back into her bed and stayed with her as her regeneration cycle resumed.


	14. The Avatars

The avatars

Rommie walked into her quarters and started to unbuckle her uniform jacket. Blinking she turned on the lights to her quarters before shutting off her connection to the ship.

Seeing a figure sitting at her table staring at some decorations she jumped slightly before adjusting her own perception to find that it was just Trance, "Trance, why are you in my quarters?"

"Your other self let me in." Trance stood rapidly, "I needed to speak to you alone."

Rommie analyzed the situation before falling back into her sling chair. "I am listening."

"Are your quarters secure?" Trance said looking around.

"They are as secure as any other quarters. I am disconnected from my AI right now." Rommie shrugged as she combed her fingers through her hair before saying absentmindedly, "I miss my red hair."

"This may sound weird and I may sound crazy but I think I left a secret message for myself before I took you all to the Seefra system." Trance said as she paced in front of Rommie.

"You have done stranger things Trance, you constantly baffle my sensors and not to mention you come back from the dead." Rommie said as she watched the Golden girl pace.

"No, I never truly die, remember Im not really anymore alive than you are." Trance shook her head, "No Harper gave me a data disk that apparently you have been storing for who knows how long since before Seefra. In it I mention how I must keep the Voyager crew safe from harm at all costs and I say some weird things about how Dylan and a Captain Janeway should be brought together in marriage."

"Why should those two get married?" Rommie asked looking after Trance.

"I don't know but I do know from seeing this that it must happen soon if you know anything about it." Trance asked, "if you know a way to get this Captain Janeway aboard the Andromeda fate should apparently bring them together."

"funny that you say this now. She just signed an agreement to take a one year mentorship to learn how a commonwealth starship works." Rommie nodded, "I know you work in mysterious ways and I would like to help but I don't know if I will be able to in this case."

Trance crossed her arms and looked around, "Can I stay here with you tonight, like we used to?"

Rommie nodded and Trance sat down in the chair next to Rommie.


	15. Matchmaker

Matchmaker

"Dylan I think it would be a good idea for you to take Captain Janeway on and instruct her how to be a Commonwealth captain." Rommie said the next morning as she walked to command with Dylan.

"Excuse me?" Dylan looked at the avatar.

"Captain Janeway accepted the charter yesterday to study for a year from a current captain. I think seeing as you are the most experienced captain in the fleet you should be her mentor." Rommie said as she parted ways to inspect the efficiency of some crew members that seemed to be joking around.

Dylan got to his office and touched his Go board for good luck, "Andromeda do you know if Rommie might be malfunctioning?"

Andromeda appeared in hologram form, "Captain?"

"Rommie asked me to accept Captain Janeway to study from me for a year." Dylan said looking at the hologram.

"Rommie is functioning at one hundred percent of full capacity. There was however an energy surge originating in her quarters last night. Trance was there with her. I ran a complete diagnostic as my systems were affected as were hers. The energy distortion caused my entire system in that section to power down for a period of one minute. I analyzed it as a code green threat and just noted it in my logs." The hologram noted.

"Alright have Harper check you out just in case." Dylan said looking down at the daily logs. Andromeda what are your takes on Rommie suggestion?"

"Logically?" Andromeda asked to which Dylan nodded. "Well, you are the most experienced captain. The commonwealth wishes to field train a captain from another civilization to be a captain, then of course you would be the best instructor."

"I however already have a relationship with Katherine. She and I are friends. I don't know if I could mentor her effectively." Dylan sighed.

"Am I not your friend? What about Rhade, Beka, Trance or Harper?"

"That is different…" Dylan paused as he tried to think of some excuses, "Oh never mind, how soon can we get to Tarazed, I have a feeling I should make this request in person."

"If we can finish negotiating this peace treaty by noon. We can prospectively be in Orbit of Tarazed by early evening." Andromeda said calculating the estimated time in slipstream.

"Alright then, let's negotiate this treaty." Dylan said setting down the reports .

Harper sat in the private recovery room on the Andromeda. Trance had put Brendan there so that he would not disturb anyone who was recovering in the main part of medical. After just twelve hours out of cryo Trance said he seemed to be healing well and had released his medical nano's from holding him in a coma.

As soon as Trance had told him that this was being done Harper had requested to have some personal time. So he had been sitting with his cousin who was slowly coming to for most of the afternoon. Everynow and then Brendan's vitals would jump as if he were still reliving the torture that he must have endured for the last four years.

Brendan's eyes snapped open but then closed again almost as if he was trying to play possum.

Harper stood up, "Hey Couso, how are you?"

Almost immediately Brendan whipped up and attacked Seamus as if he had done this a time or two before.

Rommie walked in and pryed Brendan off of Harper, "This is why I wanted Trance to put him in restraints Harper!"

Brendan stopped his attack and looked at Rommie, "You're Rommie and Seamus… I am so sorry."

Harper shook it off, "hey no problem we all have our demons."

Rommie looked at Harper, "Sorry about the disruption but Dylan is concerned about my memory banks. I apparently don't remember the power surge trance caused in my quarters last night even though I check out one hundred percent on all diagnostics. When you get a moment can you test me?"

"Uhh, sure wait for me in machine shop five. I will be down in a moment." Harper said standing up.

"Wait Seamus, am I on the Andromeda Ascendant and if so how did I get here?" Brendan asked sitting up.

"Yes this is the Andromeda and frankly you are here by sheer luck and the fact that I was in the right place at the right time and you well were quite the opposite." Harper looked around the room. "You wait here and I will be back as soon as I run this additional diagnostic on Rommie."

"Why do you need to run a diagnostic on Rommie, don't you do that to machines?" Brendan asked.

"Yes, yes you do. You are on the Andromeda now so it can't be helped but remember on Earth that last time I told you how I had made Rommie what she is? Well that was a bit of a stretch of the truth, all I did was design that body for Rommie. Rommie is Andromeda, the ship."

"So in reality you had the Andromeda with you all that time ago?" Brendan asked getting angry, "I went to a Nietzschean slave camp for nothing?"

"No, Rommie is but isn't the Andromeda. She is a partially subdivided personality file that I gave human form to. She is no more capable of stopping the entire Nietzschean armada then you or I cutting off our little finger granting it Sentience and telling it to go assassinate a single historical Earth Dictator."

"Excuse me Harper!" Andromeda appeared in hologram form, "I find it a little insulting that you would compare my avatar to your little finger. I would give her about as much value as your thumb or your entire hand."

"Well that is still my point!" Harper pointed out, "A little finger, thumb or hand isn't much good without the body and brain, which is you my beautiful yet angry ship of war."

"Whatever harper, I have better things to do." Andromeda disappeared.

"And that was the real Andromeda, which would you rather have had if you knew who Rommie was back then" Harper smiled

"honestly I couldn't tell a difference." Brendan shook his head.

"hang around here a bit and you will learn the difference between the three of the them." Harper laughed at the expression that appeared on his cousin's face.

"Three!" Brendan practically jumped off the bed and nearly collapsed.

Harper steadied his cousin, "you should stay in bed."

"Could I please come with you. I am afraid that if you leave me I will wake up from a dream and be back on that slavers ship, or worse I am on that ship and you are a dying vision, either way I wan to say I spent as much time with my cousin as possible." Brendan said locking eyes with Harper.

"Alright, let me get Trance to check you over. If she says you can go, then fine but if not I will have her or someone sit with you so you're not alone. I can't shirk my responsibilities that I have to this ship." Harper looked out onto med deck and called for trance.

Trance came through the door, "if your anything like your cousin I know what you want to ask. I would also like to say no but I know that if your like your cousin you won't stay even if I say so." Trance answered so she pulled out her Nano-bot injector and pressed it to Brendan's neck, "Andromeda monitor Brendan Lahey for any critical changes to his vitals and advise immediate return to medical."

Andromeda appeared on the screen, "consider him monitored."

As Andromeda vanished again Harper indicated, "that was the third personality"

Trance sighed, "Again I warn you that you should stay here as your vitals say you are still on the mend. I also know thay you Earth Human's are tougher then the Nietzschean's give you credit for."

Harper walked down the corridor with Brendan who couldn't stop oohing and ahhing at each console, "Seamus this ship is even more incredible then what you described."

"Yeah well, she certainly has her likes and dislikes about how she likes things." Harper said as he saw Rhade slide down a ladder onto the deck and while Brendan had his back turned Harper made vigorous movements to get Rhade to go in another direction.

"Brendan how about I take you this way and we can see the observation deck before we go to machine shop five." Harper said redirecting Brendan down another corridor.

Brendan turned around, "Harper why are you taking me all over the ship just to get to one location…" Brendan paused as he saw Rhade who was still coming in their direction, "NIETZSCHEAN!"

Harper reached over and stopped Brendan from grabbing a chair from the closest weapon's control station. "You may want to think twice before you maul the first officer for being related to the species who did all this to you."

"How can even you trust a Nietzschean Seamus?" Brendan asked.

"I never really trusted Tyr because he always had an ulterior motive but Telemachus Rhade is different. Rhade is from Marjoram pride who has allied themselves one hundered percent with the Commonwealth and have remained true for over three hundred years."

"Ahh Lieutenant I didn't think you cared." Rhade said smiling as he blocked the chair which still went flying. "if you can get away from your cousin this evening at around twenty two hundred hours, we are meeting in Dylan's office, he wants to discuss something with us."

"Thank you Rhade." Harper nodded as she quickly guided Brendan away from Rhade before anything else could happen.

Harper guided Brendan through the corridors and around various crewmembers which thankfully were not Nietzschean. Introducing him to the fifty other Nietzschean's in the crew would have to be done slowly.

Entering machine shop five harper found himself being stared down by Rommie and Doyle.

"You brought him with you?" Rommie raised an eyebrow.

"Trance gave him her permission saying that if she didn't he would find a way t escape much like I do each time I am penned up in Medical." Harper sighed, "He didn't want to be alone, and given his circumstance I sympathize."

"Well you are going to have to find a happy medium by your duty shift tomorrow." Rommie reminded as she sat on one of the benches and offered her arm, "I can't have a civilian poking around my machine shops tomorrow especially where we are heading back to Tarazed."

Harper removed some skin over one of her ports and plugged in a manual diagnostic reader. "that is where Doyle comes in handy." Harper replied, "Brendan meet Doyle, if you don't mind she will stay with you while I work."

Harper noticed Brendan staring in Doyle's direction, "Doyle put your hand back on!" Harper exclaimed when he saw that Doyle had taken her hand off.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to notice." Doyle smiled, "Since when am I your babysitter? I thought I was your assistant."

"You are my assistant but right now I can't be in two places at the same time. Brendan doesn't want to be left alone and I have to work. I created you and we spent several years together in the Seefra reality that you are closest to me who would be available for such a task. Please Doyle I need you to do this. Besides we are on hiatus of any big projects."

Harper looked back at the readout on the screen. "hmm."

"I don't like that Harper." Rommie looked down at the engineer.

"this is saying exactly the same as all the other results. There never was a power surge and your memory banks are indeed completely whole." Harper sighed, "hang on a minute and let me connect with your core AI's database and then tell me what you remember from last night.

Once harper was connected Rommie recanted her memories exactly as Andromeda had them recorded. "You check out, I will put Andromeda's sensors on the list to be overhauled because of what looks like a sensor glitch. What has Dylan and your ship self so concerned?"

"This morning I made a comment about how Dylan should bring Captain Janeway aboard. I also said some other things that were out of the blue." Rommie reported.

"I can't find any problems with anything. All I can say is this something you want but your ship self doesn't seem too sure about." Harper reasoned before unplugging everything and resealing Rommie's skin back up. "Doyle 2150 in my quarters?" Harper said walking out with Brendan.

At 2150 on the dot Doyle was outside Harper's quarters. Harper let her in and pointed to Brendan, "Doyle this is Brendan. Brendan this is Doyle she is going to stay with you tonight while I am at this meeting. Play nice please Doyle."

Harper ran to Dylan's office where he was the last to arrive.

"Glad you could join us Lieutenant." Dylan smiled.

Harper had decided that Dylan and Rhade enjoyed making fun of his rank months ago but he just dropped the subject because he liked the ring of Lieutenant alongside his name although Commander or Captain would sound better Lieutenant was better than Ensign.

Dylan continued, "I called you all here because we have been through Hell and back literally over the years and I trust you five with my life as a result. Rommie proposed I take on Captain Janeway in a mentor relationship and train her in the field to be a Commonwealth captain. I want to know what you think?"

Trance spoke first, "I think you would be good for each other, you both have been in similar boats."

"I hate to say it but I agree with miss amnesia over here." Beka sighed, "You both were ripped out of your comfort zones. You should be the one to teach her about this strange new world."

Everyone agreed to a certain point on the fact that Dylan was the only person who should have the rights to teach Captain Janeway about the Commonwealth and how its ships operated.


	16. New Beginnings

Janeway came into the livingroom with the flexi she had been given at her interview and sighed as she sat in the chair and stared at the data.

"That bad captain?" Tom came out and attempted to peak at the information.

"I have been assigned to the Andromeda Ascendant. Apparently Captain Hunt really wants me to join his crew. I leave tomorrow and I just don't know if I can part that soon." Janeway frowned.

"Be'lanna leaves tomorrow and so do many of the crew. Chakotay left this morning and Harry left the other day." Tom sighed, "I think I have received the latest date of next week. But while you were in the meeting the numbers came in. Ninety crew members have accepted so that means the other sixty are safe for the time being and that includes the children."

nnnnnn

"But Mom, I don't want to go! Why can't we just stay here?" Naomi pouted and stomped her foot.

Sam moved around the apartment packing all of Naomi's belongings into bags. "Naomi we have been given an apartment of our own. You will have your own bedroom and you will still be going to Hunt Memorial so you won't need to leave your friends." Sam sighed.

"But why can't I stay here with Mezoti, Azan and Rebi? I don't want my own room. You can commute from here just as easily as this other apartment." Naomi argued with her mother.

Tom leaned over, "Maybe you can console her, she has been upset since getting home from school. Sam got a position on the drift although she has been given permission to live here on Tarazed and commute back and forth."

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Janeway walked with Dylan after showing her to her quarters and helping her get settled in he had agreed to take her on the essentials tour so she knew how to get to all the important locations. Still she figured it would be a while before she went anywhere without getting directions from the computer… Andromeda.

"I have instructed the crew to refer to you as Captain however I expect that you will not try to pull rank on any of the crew. For right now respect the authority of even the lowest of crewmen because chances are they know how to run this ship better than you do." Dylan explained

"What am I expected to do then?" Janeway asked as she followed Dylan down the corridor.

"At first observe and try not to break my ship. I will give you responsibility as you demonstrate your ability to me when we review policies and procedures. When you are not shadowing and observing me or my first officer I expect you to study commonwealth manuals." Dylan explained

"So when do I meet your first officer?" Janeway asked

Rhade strode up to them, "Is now a good time?"

"Admiral Rhade this is a surprise." Janeway nodded

"It is Commander Rhade now. It is good to see you survived on our fair Tarazed." Rhade replied as he fell into stride.

"You were demoted?" Janeway asked slightly shocked.

"Not for anything I did wrong. When you arrived, Tarazed was still operating on the model of the old commonwealth. We had just entered into the restored Commonwealth and were in transition. A few days after your arrival I was notified that with the changes in rank and regulation I was now a Lieutenant commander." Rhade explained, "I have spent the last eighteen months earning back some of my street cred and have since been promoted to a full commander."

Janeway walked into Dylan's office.

"You made it here in fifteen minutes from when I called you. You are getting quicker Katherine." Dylan laughed as she rose from his chair.

"Yes after a week I am finally starting to get the hang of the layout. I only asked Andromeda for directions ten times this morning." Janeway responded.

"I have to confess, I had an advantage when I assumed command of the Andromeda. I had a few days in which I just stared at her deck plans. I can't tell you how many times I walked her decks in my mind to prepare for the real thing and I still got lost quite a bit in my first months." Dylan said moving to the chair next to his go board.

Janeway sat across from him, "No you tell me Dylan. You let me act like a fool for th last week thinking I was the only one on this ship that didn't know how to navigate the corridors."

"Because at this time you are the only one who can't." Dylan laughed, "Oh and by the way before we start rounds this morning I was awoken by a courier this morning. It is from my old friend Rev Bem, but the header says there is also a message for you included."

"Alright I am definitely interested in hearing what your friend has to say to me. I don't even know this friend or if I do I don't recall hearing the name Rev Bem." Janeway nodded.

Dylan responded with, "Andromeda play most recent Rev Bem letter."

A brown bat eared man stood before them wearing his traditional munk robes, "I was surprised to find that you had returned to the Andromeda Dylan. I know our last communication had you leaving for tarn Vedra. I sent a letter to you there to have it returned as undeliverable. We must keep in touch more because if I had known we could have met up last week when you were leaving Tarazed as my journey had lead me on the path to Tarazed where I have been for the last two weeks. Upon learning that I was sending this message to the Andromeda one of my latest students has asked if he could also send a message along."

The focus switched to another angle and picked up the last person Janeway expected to see. "Captain, in your last few days on Tarazed you questioned me several times as to where I was spending my time. I was reluctant to share because I was unsure as to how far this interest of mine would take me. Since we arrived on Tarazed I have found myself wondering about many things and I felt disconnected with several facets of life. About three days before you received your assignement I was escorting Lieutenant Kim to his waiting transport and I bumped into the Reverend Behemial Fartraveler. He showed me through several meditation practices of the wayists. While I was reluctant to accept some of the practices I now believe my logic will be of a benefit to all Wayists. Live Long and Prosper."

"Was he a member of your former crew Katherine?" Dylan asked as the message ended

"Yes that was Commander Tuvok, my security officer. He was my closest friend and on Voyager he was the closest thing we had to a spiritual leader as Vulcan with their innate logic skills and calm insightful wisdom." Janeway explained.

"Well he will be well taken care of by Rev Bem, don't worry about that."

Neelix pulled the casserole out of the oven that he was making to share among the fifty crewmembers who were left. It seemed so empty around the building. On the top floor it was only him and the children minus Naomi. The rest of the crew had moved around and now occupied the third and fourth floors. He was even thinking of moving himself and the children down to two empty rooms on the fourth floor just so they could consolidate space and supplies.

There was a knock on the door and upon answering it Neelix was surprised to find tri Camille with her entourage standing at the door.

"Ahh, beg my pardon I was not expecting company." Neelix said grabbing a towel with which he cleaned his hands.

"I came to notify you that you have the remainder of this month to move from this apartment. We have decided to reopen this building to the public but that you will be able to remain on the two floors still being utilized." Tri Camille said coming into the room.

"Funny that you mention this. I was just thinking the same thing a few seconds ago about moving downstairs." Neelix nodded as he moved the casserole to a cooling rack.

"May I enquire as to what you are making?" Tri Camille enquired.

"This that I just took out is what I call Tarazed Casserole, it includes some of the most flavorful produce and meats your planet has to offer, at least that I have had the courtesy of getting to work with." Neelix pointed to the casserole dish, "And this is a chocolate Cali melon tart."

"I honestly have never thought of using cali melon in a tart before." Tri Camille gazed at the dish.

Neelix scooped out a small amount with a spoon which he handed to the Triumvir, "Please be my guest."

Tri Camille accepted the spoon which she hesitantly tasted, "This is phenominal. If you were to open a restaurant I would recommend all my guests to your establishment."

"I am but a refugee. I do believe we are not allowed to own our own business' or even hold a paying job." Neelix repeated the refugee act to the triumvir.

"Give me forty-eight hours and you will be a full citizen." Tri Camille explained, "I will even be able to provide you with a building to start your restaurant."

"Well that sounds like music to my ears. Although I have one stipulation." Neelix explained, "I promised some people that I would remain responsible for the children from our crew that didn't have parents."

Tri Camille smiled, "When I return with your citizenship paperwork I will also have adoption forms."


	17. Inside the Nietzschean's world

Inside the Nietzschean's world

Brendan woke up and went to the bathroom in the quarters he was sharing with his cousin. As he passed his cousin who had been sleeping on the couch he commented, "You look like hell Seamus. Did I keep you up with the nightmares again?"

"No, you actually only had one that I could tell. I however kept waking up anticipating them." Harper frowned, "Hey I have to take a slip fighter back to Tarazed for a few days. I have to go service some items I built, do you want to come with me or stay alone with Doyle?"

"I think I will come with you. Doyle is starting to creep me out. You may have created her but she is your complete polar opposite when it comes to certain things." Brendan said lookin up from the sink.

"Before you give me your final answer. I need to warn you Tarazed is forty percent Nietzschean and it seems to me that they all live in and around the capital city where we will be going." Harper described.

Andromeda appeared, "Harper twenty-five percent of the capital city is Nietzschean, which equals out to be about ten percent of the overall Nietzschean population. What most people fail to note is that the Majoram pride only accounts for about forty percent of the population making it the plurality and that there are three other prides that have been established on Tarazed.

"There is the Anugra pride which accounts for thirty percent and as their name implies they are peace loving and have returned to the roots of what it actually means to be a Nietzschean they live entirely in their own region of the southern continent. Then there is the Tae-Hyun Pride and they account for twenty-five percent: they are hard to distinguish from the Majorum as they intertwine and connect so many times that technically they should be one pride however they have each chosen to maintain their own alpha's and breeding structure. Accounting for the last ten percent is the Degenhard pride and there is a lot of dispute over the origins, many say they were sympathizers of the commonwealth from the now extinct Kodiak while others believe that they just hold similar philosophy in creating the strongest Nietzschean specimen, they live primarily in the mountains and in the harshest of environments Tarazed has to offer and are akin to the Sherpa of ancient earth." Andromeda defined the four prides, "there is one other group that refers to themselves as a pride however the other four prides do not consider them among the Nietzschean population. They recruit from other prides and hold the Philosophy that they have been given this genetic superiority to share with others, they are known as the Hasa, usually if a child leaves their pride to join the Hasa they will be considered dead by the elders."

"You mean there are actually Nietzscheans who intermarry with Humans? They don't all think they are above lowly humans?" Brendan asked shocked.

"You will find that on Tarazed most of the Nietzscheans are sympathetic to the plight of humanity. There are no slavers and all prides freely interact with the human population." Andromeda nodded, "Harper it would be a very educational trip for your cousin if he went."

"I am kind of interested in this Hasa pride. I have been stirring up some thoughts of what I am going to do with my life and I think they may give me some help." Brendan nodded

Harper landed the slip fighter in the spot that had been reserved for him. Opening the hatch Harper climbed out and grabbed his bag from the back. Slip fighters were not designed for carrying cargo and a passenger but they had made it work. Luckily for the two day stay here on Tarazed he only needed his tools and a change of clothes. He was not attending any conferences or meeting and Engineers were expected to be slightly dirty and clothes wrinkled anyways.

"So this is Tarazed?" Brendan said as they walked through the glass elevated passageways that connected the different terminals of the Space port.

"Yes, isn't it wonderful?" Harper said as they went through security to enter the central hub of the Space port. "When I first saw this place, I felt right at home, they have combined the luxury and architecture of the commonwealth with the feel that is reminiscent of the old stories we used to read about what Earth was like in its golden years. Did you know that when they settled themselves here they brought with them some of the finest artwork humans are known for? Davinci, Rembrandt and Michelangelo they all have art work in the Tarazed museum network."

"Seamus Harper!" a voice yelled over the murmuring of all the people in the Space port.

Harper turned from Brendan to locate the sound of the greeting. Locating the source he smiled, "Vanessa Rhade shouldn't you be in school?"

"You should adjust your Chronometer human. School let out an hour ago. I have been hanging around here since then because my brother asked me to." Vanessa said coming over to Harper and gave the traditional Nietzschean greeting.

"Rhade asked you to come here? I only informed him last night that I was coming to Tarazed." Harper shook his head.

"Yes and I awoke this morning to courier knocking on our front gate. I don't think my brother trusts you to stay out of danger. He wants you to stay with us during your stay." Vanessa nodded.

"That's really great and all but I brought my cousin with me. I would hate to impose." Harper tried to politely decline, "Besides interacting with Nietzschean's is new to him, I don't know how he will handle staying inside a Nietzschean Village."

To harper's surprise Brendan extended his hand, "My name is Brendan Lahey, it is a pleasure to meet you Vanessa."

"Likewise, Brendan Lahey." Vannessa nodded as she took his hand as if it was the most normal thing in the world which Harper noticed did catch Brendan off guard.

"Seamus, you have been given an invitation please don't decline it on my part. Both you and Andromeda assured me that the Nietzscheans here on Tarazed are harmless so I will agree with and give them the benefit of doubt." Brendan nodded slightly uneasy but willing to move forward.

Vanessa led them through the Space port to a transport hub that would take them across town to where the Rhade village sat on the edge of the city.

"I never came here directly from the Space port before. You make this trip every day to go to school?" Harper enquired.

"Yes we live on the outskirts of the Hunt Memorial district so we go there while many of our cousins live inside the Starry Wisdom district which is a bit closer, but I wouldn't miss the opportunity to whip my cousin's butts at events for the life of me." Vanessa smiled as they got off the transport and walked down the more residential and manicured walking streets.

Vanessa stopped at a gate which she pushed open and led the two men inside. The light was growing thin but they could see that life was in full swing inside the village. Houses were lit up and people were coming and going. There was a field to their left that was grassy and fenced in. a couple of young boys ran through it with a dog as they attempted to herd cattle towards a structure on the far side.

"Harper recognize those two?" Vanessa pointed to two of the boys closest to the fence.

"Are those Rhade's two sons? They are getting tall. How old are they now?" Harper asked.

"Ishmael just turned six last week. If you think he is big you should see Amalia, she is nearly two." Vanessa commented as they walked closer to the houses, "I get a boot out of the fact that you refer to my brother by our family name. though as a word to the wise at the dinner table with our parents you might want to use his name. they might not know who you are referring to otherwise."

"Will Jillian be joining your family at dinner tonight?" Harper asked.

"No, Jillian tends to eat with her children in her and Telemachus' house. Our parents' are not completely accepting of the fact that their favorite son has only taken one wife and has elected to stay away for long periods of time." Vanessa sighed before adding, "But they are completely at ease with your visit."

Vanessa opened the door to the house and led them into the front room where her mother Majorum sat with Sarai one of her father's newer wives.

Majorum looked up, "Vanessa where were you this afternoon? You were supposed to help Victoria make her costume for the school play."

"Mother. I was asked by Telemachus to retrieve Seamus Harper this afternoon. He is here on business." Vanessa reminded her stressed mother.

"Oh, Vanessa I am sorry, I forgot. It has been chaotic today. Your sister Elissa is having a hard labor. I was with her much of the day. Your cousin Heidi is with her now. I am preparing Sarai for her first night of union to your father." Majorum stood to welcome their guests. "Harper it is good to see you. You seem to looing well, not quite as thin and sickly as you did the last time you visited."

"Thank you." Harper nodded, "this is my cousin Brendan, I hope it is alright that he joined me. I was not expecting this offer as Telemachus did not tell me he had extended this invitation."

Majorum looked Brendan up and down, "you could use a few good meals if I do say so myself. You look worse than your cousin did the other times I saw him."

"I don't know how I should respond to that M'am." Brendan said stiffly.

"Don't go M'aming me mister. You can call me Mamma Rhade and I will see to it that you get some good real food into you. Not that stuff they feed you in space." Majorum laughed.

Vanessa stepped in, "I am going to show them to the spare room Mother."

Vanessa pulled them away from her mother and led them up the stairs. "Don't worry about the union happening tonight. Father's room is in the basement and there is a lot of noise absorbancy between down there and the first floor. He is a very private man and doesn't like to rub it in his other wives faces that he is sleeping with another wife." Vanessa looked at Brendan, "How come you are so stiff and uncomfortable with my kind?"

"I am from Earth but I have been in slave camps for the last four years." Brendan said unsurely.

"Ugh, the Drago Katsov, they are such an abomination to our kind. They give Nietzscheans a bad name. just saying their name puts an awful taste in my mouth. I can't believe that they did what they did to the Commonwealth." Vanessa stuck her tongue out and pretended to puke.

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	18. plotting and Planning

AN: Here is the next chapter of Merged reality...what is Brendan plotting? I am uploading this chapter at 3:00 in the morning because the humidity is keeping me awake.

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><p>Harper stepped off the transport at the corner of an apartment neighborhood with Brendan close behind him. Both of their stomachs full. They had had a hard time getting away from Mamma Rhade. She had kept insisting that they had not had enough food to fill them up.<p>

"Why do I get the feeling that I was being fed just so they could slaughter me?" Brendan asked as he followed Harper down the street.

"It is your imagination working overtime Cuz. You never have had a feast like that before." Harper laughed, "get ready cause we will be doing it again for supper and breakfast tonight and tomorrow morning."

"Ugh, I think I have actually been full since dinner last night. I can't imagine the last time I saw that much food. If I could I would take that whole table back to Earth and everyone from our Ghetto would have had more than enough to eat." Brendan then got sad, "I can't believe that it is gone. Earth I mean."

"I was nearly stuck on the planet when it blew up. Don't preach to the choir on that one." Harper frowned as he turned into a building. "It seems so empty in here."

"Why do you say that?" Brendan asked as he looked around, "it looks very occupied to me."

"There used to be over one hundred and fifty refugees living here. There is now less than fifty." Harper explained.

"Where did they all go?" Brendan asked slightly confused.

"Captain Janeway who is shadowing Captain Hunt is one of the refugees. The commonwealth is training them to join the fleet. Not all of them accepted and they are currently waiting for other options." Harper shook his head. "I have to perform some maintenance to some special hardware I had to modify for these people."

Brendan followed harper to the elevstor where they took it to the eighth floor. Knocking on the door Harper was surprised when Mezoti opened the door.

"Mezoti you should be in school. Does anyone know you are home?" harper looked at the girl.

"Neelix does. He is my legal guardian now. Guess what he has a job and we are going to be moving to a real apartment soon." Mezoti beamed. "I stayed home because I wasn't feeling well this morning. Neelix is going to take me to the doctor's when he gets out of work."

"Where are you moving to?" Harper asked as he set down his bag.

"Just down to the fourth floor, Neelix wants to stay close and they are going to be moving the rest of the refugees around so that this building can be opened back to the public. Neelix is signing papers soon on the spare apartment on the fourth floor. Neelix says I will have my own room." Mezoti explained.

"You sound different." Harper noted, "I have been around you every few months for the last eighteen months. I am just now connecting that you are sounding less like a machine."

"People make fun of me if I speak using borg terms. If I talk like them they accept me a little more and look past the fact that I am a cyborg." Mezoti frowned. "They are working on a way to have the implants removed. Did you know that?"

"That is good news. I am sure you are looking forward to something like that." Harper smiled at the little girl.

Brendan stepped out of the apartment while Harper worked and went to the elevator. He wanted to locate some of these other refugees, they had been displaced just as he now felt. Seamus was working so he figured he could go meet them so he Stopped at each floor until he found a group of people gathered on the third floor.

Getting out of the elevator he listened before attempting to enter their conversation.

"You don't understand Sandra, this is something we need to do."

"Lieutenant, this is a big decision and I think you should think longer about this." A woman argued back.

"No, I have thought hard about this. Chakotay grew too soft his time as the first officer on Voyager, I tried approaching him with this idea but he had his hopes set on a command which they are eventually going to offer him. If B'elanna wasn't so loyal to him and Tom Paris she would have been in on this idea, in fact she was on board." The man evidently known as Ayala responded back.

"Most of us in this room chose not to join the Commonwealth purely because we are enlisted officers of Starfleet, we didn't know what our options would be, some took their chances. They have said we can remain refugees for the foreseeable future. We shouldn't jump the gun like you are proposing." The woman responded, "we don't know what is out there on those uninhabited planets they were talking about."

"We didn't know what was in the Delta quadrant either but we merged into one crew on Voyager." Another voice spoke up.

"We can't just stay here on this planet living at the whim of this strange government. We chose not to join the commonwealth, we should take the offer anyway and settle our own planet." Another voice responded.

A man stood near the first woman, "the problem is you all are Maquis and in this group you are a minority. For the last seven years we have operated as one crew and I don't think that just because Janeway isn't here we should divide ourselves against each other."

"Emmanuel, you don't get it either, we are not trying to divide ourselves, we very much want to take you all with us. how long is the foreseeable future to you?" Ayala responded. "the going is good now, they offered us this planet before and sources say it is still on the table, who says what will be on the table in another year."

Brendan stepped in, "Sorry to interrupt but I came in with my cousin and when I heard you all were refugees I knew I had to meet you."

"Why are you so interested in us a bunch of refugees?" a woman asked.

"I guess because I am a sort of refugee. I have no home anymore and I was displaced long before that. I guess I am just looking for some people who understand where I am at." Brendan frowned, "My name is Brendan Lahey, where are you from?"

"My name is Sandra and we are all from a lost ship called Voyager. Before that many of us were from Earth, I myself was born and raised in Chicago. It was sad to hear what happened to Earth earlier this year. I think we are still reeling from the effects." Sandra answered.

"I was born and raised in Boston." Brendan frowned, "I didn't even know what had happened till a few weeks ago. The slavers don't exactly tell their property anything important."

"Hey man, I am Henry Emmanuel, I was born and raised in Boston as well." One of the other men smiled and offered a fist bump.

Brendan did not return it just stared at the one who had identified himself as being from Boston, "where in Boston were you from?"

"The Home of the Revolution, Bunker Hill; my father was a caretaker for some of the monuments. Sure was a Beautiful city." Emmanuel said sadly.

"You have to be lying, I am from Bunker hill and one, I knew everyone living in that ghetto, two the Nietzscheans tore down all the monuments two hundred years ago when they were attempting to break what was left of the human spirit." Brendan started to look angry.

"No, I know that Henry is from where he says he is. However you wouldn't know this because we are from another universe. Where we came from Earth was still a perfect paradise, it was the seat for the United federation of planets, a peaceful joint coalition with hundreds of member worlds." Another person spoke up.

"Another universe and another Earth, one that probably hasn't been destroyed? You mean there are no Nietzscheans either?" Brendan asked, "Such a place can exist?"

"Yeah, we came from there, although Earth isn't all peaches and cream either. I mean the Federation is pretty nice, but you wouldn't find me peacefully following the rules of a society that allows other worlds to be incinerated just because they fell inside a treaty line." Ayala nodded, "I left Earth and the Federation to fight against both the Federation and the Cardassian empire."

"And these Cardassians were a brutal species?" Brendan asked a thought running through his head.

"Yes they were brutal, which is why the maquis were formed. We fought against the rules of the Commonwealth as traiters and were fought as terrorists against the Cardassian empire, we however never thought of ourselves as that, we were freedom fighters, fighting for the liberty of the worlds ruled against unfairly." Ayala responded.

"So you have experience being freedom fighters then? I have been thinking long and hard about what I should do after I need to find a new place to live and I think I would like to make another attempt at freeing the slaves on Nietzschean worlds." Brendan explained

"Alright man you speak our language, we would join a resistance in a heartbeat if you can get us some funding and supplies we will try to get our hands on that colony world that we could use as a base of operations." Another member of the refugee crew responded.

Brendan recanted everything in his head before replying, "I doubt the Commonwealth would help with getting us set up but I have heard of a society here on Tarazed, the Hasa, have you heard of them?"

"No, never although you are right, governments tend not to like freedom fighters much because we do what their military can't and we do it far better than they ever could." Another member of the group replied and Brendan stared having never seen a man with skin as blue as his before.

Harper popped his head out of the elevator, "There you are Cuz, I was wondering where you had wandered off to."

"Oh, I was just looking around and I found some people to talk to. it turns out we have a lot in common." Brendan said, "Did you know that many of these kind folk are from an Earth that still exists and is pretty much a paradise compared to the hell hole we grew up in?"

"Your cousin is Seamus Harper?" one of the refugees asked, "You are a genius!"

"Uhh, thanks I think." If you aren't done talking I will just wait down stairs for you." Harper nodded back to the elevator.

"Alright I will be down in a few minutes." Brendan nodded and waited for Harper to leave the floor. "I don't want to worry my cousin that I am getting myself into another dangerous situation, but I feel called to freeing the Oppressed."

"If you need to leave you can reach us at this number Ayala nodded handing Brendan a scrap of paper with a contact number and location written on it. We will look for this Hasa that you talked about, I assume that for the time being we can reach you through the Andromeda?"

"Yes I will message you if my location changes and I will also be looking for any Hasa as well." Brendan nodded

"If we can get the planet we will message you as well. It will be interesting getting back into a business that we are familiar with. And from your tales the Nietzscheans are fairly similar to the Cardassians." A member of the group said as Brendan waved and headed to the elevator.

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	19. High Guard Education

Dylan stood in the corridor with Andromeda standing next to him in holographic form when Katherine slid down a ladder and saluted Dylan.

"I am impressed Captain Janeway, it only took you two and a half minutes to make it to this location." Andromeda announced, "I believe Dylan was at three minutes the first time he asked me to test him. And as he has said before he had the advantage of memorizing my floor plans prior to taking command."

"Can you tell me what is behind this bulkhead?" Dylan asked

"This is deck five section D so we are near the observation deck." Katherine replied.

"You have definitely improved and that is one of the most important things is knowing your ship." Dylan nodded

"I have been a captain before. The thing that has slowed me down is how large the Andromeda as a ship is and the fact that I am a new to speaking and reading Common." Katherine said

"Harper is tinkering with something." Andromeda sighed as she disappeared.

Dylan indicated that Katherine should walk with him, "You have been here for three months now and you have learned your deck locations as well as gotten down to under three minutes of getting to any given location. How have you been doing on learning commonwealth protocols?"

"Don't ask me about the protocols. If I thought reading deck designations in common were hard then trying to read and comprehend the protocols is a full out splitting headache." Katherine said rubbing her temples, "I am getting there just give me another five years or so."

Dylan laughed, "You do know that Andromeda can translate the protocols for you and Trance has somewhere a language program if you want it. I just hope she remembers where it is. But in other words did you hear the rumors floating around some of the crew the last few days?"

"I heard something about Brendan Lahey and how he left the ship to search for a group that calls themselves Nietzscheans however all the Nietzscheans onboard are deeply offended about this group, what do they call themselves… the Halfas?"

"They are the Hasa and I have heard more about it today. The triumvirs have been in council all day because of this turn of events and depending on which way it goes you may want to brace yourself for a storm." Dylan said shaking his head.

Katherine looked at Dylan, "How does this involve me?"

Dylan sighed and held his breath.

"Brendan found the Hasa and they have agreed to back a cause he has started to free the humans that are still enslaved by the Nietzsheans as long as the soon to be freed slaves are given the choice to enter the Hasa's breeding pool…" Dylan said suddenly stopping

"Tell me already!" Katherine said anxiously worried

"Apparently Brendan has gone into partnership with many members of your former crew. All of the crew that chose not to join the High Guard actually." Dylan explained

"Uhg, what are your thoughts on it?" Katherine said as she rubbed her temples again, "I just can't think about what would possess members of my crew to do this but I know that the former Maquis part of my crew were also behind this whole idea, it is something that they would do because it is what they knew before joining my crew."

"Well I can't say that I am impartial to it. I didn't reestablish the Commonwealth without a guerilla war or two against the Nietzscheans however Freedom fighters can be unpredictable what with no governing rules to keep them from getting backed into a corner." Dylan explained

"I can agree with you there, has there been any word on what my former crew is doing?" Katherine asked

"Well as you know they took the planet that was offered to them and they moved off of Tarazed. They procured for themselves a stockpile of supplies and with the announcement that the Hasa back them they have filed to secede from the Commonwealth and be their own nation." Dylan nodded, "oh and from what I have heard, they have officially named the colony New Boston and they are rumoring about calling themselves the Bostonians for a freedom fighter name."

"So I know now about this but does Seamus know?" Katherine asked

"I told him earlier with Rommie and Doyle there. They had to hold him down when he heard the news. It is part of the reason Andromeda was worried about his tinkering." Dylan shook his head

"Do you think he would go and join his cousin?" Katherine asked worried through her dealings with the younger man since she had come to Tarazed she had grown to realize his hurts and how much he had had to overcome to be where he was.

Dylan debated,"I cannot say. Part of him likes the roughing it lifestyle while the other part of him has grown to like living in comfort here aboard the Andromeda and knowing he will always have three square meals and a warm bed. The Empress knows he didn't have that most of his life and that he knows he has already fought the good fight. Just getting off of Earth in the first place was a fight in and of itself."

The ship shuddered as alarms went off, "Is this a drill?"

"No but if you can think fast enough what is the first step?" Dylan said as he quickly regained from a slight loss of balance.

"Andromeda, status report," Katherine asked the AI.

The AI announced, "Explosion in machine shop five, the machine shop is on fire."

"Evacuate section and seal and contain the fire." Katherine ordered the ship.

A few seconds later Andromeda announced, "Section evacuated sealing and depressurizing. Fire is contained and dying out."

Dylan shrugged, "And you said protocols were giving you a headache. Although you could probably do with a little more practice to your common you were completely understandable."

"Some things are a no brainer however it was different wording it to an AI rather than a non-sentient computer." Katherine nodded

"Just talk to Andromeda like you would a crew member but maybe with the respect you would give an admiral." Dylan said trying to explain where on the respect rate she should put her official communication with Andromeda.

Rommie walked up to the two, "I wouldn't go so far as to say that you address me like an Admiral."

"I was trying to explain, that when giving orders, she shouldn't talk down to you but she should talk to you like you know more than she does." Dylan explained

"Well I do know more than you do, Captain. Captain Janeway you can just communicate with me how it feels more natural to you, if I was ever under your command I would learn how to react and anticipate your command patterns." Rommie nodded as she addressed the two, "I thought I would bring the news to you in person though, A courier has just brought word about the decision concerning the Bostonians."

"Please tell me it is good news, I don't know if I could handle any bad news." Katherine sighed

"It is fairly good news and it will benefit all parties. "The residents of New Boston are being allowed to Secede although they will remain close allies to the Commonwealth as their mission is not too different from that of the Commonwealth. The one thing that is being required is that while individuals have to be given equal opportunity to join with the Hasa all planets that are freed are to be turned over to the Commonwealth for the option of joining.

"So basically the Bostonians have agreed to be unpaid pawns of the Commonwealth?" Katherine asked

"I wouldn't go to say that they would be pawns as you put it. The commonwealth has agreed to back them as well with an interest in being able to protect the newly freed worlds which is something that the Bostonians would not be able to do." Rommie announced, "The Secession just makes it so that they will not be outright collecting payment from the Commonwealth or have to answer to the Triumvirs for every little decision they decide to make."

"I have one more question; and that is could you please explain to me exactly who the Hasa are? I have heard them mentioned several times this last hour.

"The Hasa are a group of Human Nietzschean hybrids. There were a few Nietzscheans who about one hundred and fifty years ago worried that the gene pool on Tarazed was going to get too small so they decided that in order to insure their survival they would weaken their gene pool and worry about breeding out the abnormalities at a later date. This idea was taken poorly by the rest of the Nietzschean population and the newly formed hybrid pride was shunned. Sealed off from the rest of the prides they started to call themselves the Hasa which literally means special, they also began to come about with their pride's mentality, they take those who are unwanted by both the humans and the Nietzscheans and make them be like one in genetics." Rommie explained who the Hasa were.


	20. The Engagement

**The Engagement**

Mezoti sighed as she looked at the clock and over at where Naomi sat finishing her test. They had been at Hunt Memorial School for just under three years and were now in the year five room. The test seemed like it was taking forever but she kept going on filling in the answers after almost three years both she and Naomi had become nearly fluent in Common and were in the regular classes full time. Naomi still went on occasion to various supplemental lessons but the week before Mezoti had been told that the only time they wanted to see her was if she was failing a class.

As she answered a question she thought onto the reason why the time was slinking by. After school Neelix was picking her up so they could go see Captain Janeway. Captain Janeway had recently graduated from the training program and was awaiting command of her own vessel. Today was the dedication of a brand new class of ship that the Captain had been told would be hers for reasons unknown to most people.

Naomi and Sam lead Neelix, Mezoti, Azan and Rebi around the Drift to where the ceremony was being held. Captain Janeway evidently saw them coming because she met them at the edge of the crowd wearing her High Guard uniform.

Naomi hugged the captain first and then saluted, "Captain's assistant reporting for duty!"

"You have gotten so tall in just over a year since seeing you Naomi." The captain greeted smiling.

"I know I have." Naomi laughed before looking at something, "Is that a ring on your finger?"

Mezoti diverted her attention to the ring and tilted her head slightly she had heard other members of the crew and her classmates talking about rings but it wasn't a custom she had ever really seen that meant anything significant.

Neelix gasped as he saw it, "I had no idea you were seeing anyone Captain."

Sam took her hand, "Who is the lucky guy?"

"I was actually saving that for a later time when less people were around but, I will tell you now if you keep it a secret." Captain Janeway nodded.

Before Katherine could get anything out Dylan walked over and kissed her on the cheek.

Naomi squealed and grabbed Mezoti's hands as she jumped up and down, "Congratulations!"

Lieutenant's Paris and Torres walked in on the excitement and Paris guessed, "Well I take it that this excitement isn't about the fact that the two of us have both been assigned to the new ship under the command of Captain Katherine Janeway."

Naomi squealed and before anyone could stop her she announced, "Captain Janeway is getting married!"

Katherine dropped her head she had been trying her hardest to keep her engagement on the down low. If this was on voyager the children wouldn't have known right away except that since their exile she had grown so much closer to each of the children. While Be'lanna had hidden because she didn't feel maternal towards all the children she had been there for everything she could have possibly been there for.

"Say, what!" Be'lanna said dropping her jaw.

"It is true, we started seeing each other in secret a few months ago and when she received her commission last month we made it official. Last night I gave her the ring." Dylan smiled as he stood there

"We kept it very secret, I doubt Rommie knew." Katherine nodded

Rommie found her way through the crowd, "Dylan likes to believe that I didn't know, but you really can't hide anything from an avatar."

Tom looked a little nervous around Rommie, "What are you doing here?"

"You still look nervous even though you have been around other Avatars for the past year?" Rommie asked, "This commissioning is more than what you are used to with your low tech ships where you came from, it is like a birth and a wedding all wrapped into one. As an Avatar it is very symbolic and many of our kind try to be here. One nano-second we are just a program limited to a small computer program and the next we are an entire ship."

"It is my understanding from your letters Captain that this ship is a brand new never before produced class?"

Dylan answered, "That is part of the reason why I am here in the first place is because the ship is a science Research class ship dedicated after Sarah Riley, Riley's Honor Class Science Research Vessel."

"Dylan had a history with Sarah Riley in his life three hundred years ago." Katherine explained, "They should be opening the doors for the public tour of the ship, even though it is only going to be general walk through with most areas locked down I am going to walk through as I have only gotten to see the inside of the ship once before. They have been keeping everything about the ship hush, I have barely even gotten to familiarize myself with her deck plans."

Walking through the ship as part of its grand reveal to the general public with guards stationed every hundred feet making sure no one touched anything they shouldn't.

After the general tour Captain Janeway was pulled away from the rest who went outside the ship for the official dedication and commission.

"Sam did you build any part of this ship?" Neelix asked as he looked out the observation port at the ship sitting docked outside the station.

"No, my security clearance wasn't high enough, the Riley Foundation paid for this ship to be highly classified during its construction. They didn't want anyone ripping off the design plans during the construction. It was actually built by private contractors of the highest degree and has actually been donated to the Commonwealth. The ship while having a High Guard crew is not technically a High Guard Ship although it is. From what I have been told it is highly confusing to just explain the ships status. The High Guard unlike Star Fleet doesn't put too much effort into Scientific research so most of the Scientific parts of the ship are run by Scientists. Captain Janeway received captaincy because she is the only Captain for the High Guard with a Science background as well as battle experience."

Captain Janeway stood with Captain Hunt and Rommie as well as a few other Avatars that were allowed in on the ceremony. A group of people wheeled in a canister which they plugged into one of the central interfaces there on command.

"That is the AI storage unit. Sometimes the AI comes with an avatar and other times the AI is delivered to the ship via a canister." Dylan explained as everything was getting set up.

"I myself was laid in before most of the ship was even built because of the complexity of a Glorious Heritage class ship." Rommie explained, "This ship was fairly complex but because it was built by an independent source it didn't have a military grade AI built in."

"I have been curious and you have remained tight lipped as to the ships official name." Dylan asked

"I know what has been chosen but when the AI is installed the name will become official." Katherine smiled as the technician started the installation of the AI.

Quickly the consoles all began to light up and the displays began to stream data.

"It takes a few moments for the AI to spread itself through the ship and fully organize itself and begin to compartmentalize all the ships systems that need to be controlled." Rommie nodded before going silent to respect all the others who were on hand.

Shortly after as Rommie had explained the screens began to display operational data and one of the try fold screens started to show the image of a young woman with curly brown hair and bright eyes. She had and clear cream colored visage and locked her eyes onto Captain Janeway.

A short distance from the captain appeared a hologram and saluted, "Captain Katherine Janeway it will be an honor to serve with you. But first I believe Captain Hunt, you and your senior crew will be taking me on a shakedown cruise?"

"Captain Janeway will be attending with us on this cruise." Dylan nodded.

"Captains I believe it is time that you go out to the observation port on the drift to my official dedication ceremony.

Katherine and Dylan left while the avatars in attendance briefly filed past bring their well wishes to the newest ship.

"It is my greatest pleasure to announce to you the Cassiopeia's Pearl." An Admiral announced as soon as Katherine and Dylan were on the podium.

**Please Review**


	21. Wedding Gifts

Wedding Gifts

Andromeda appeared into a machine shop, "I thought you had left with Beka to go to the wedding?"

"I came back, I needed to put some finishing touches on my wedding gift." Harper said grabbing some data chips from a work bench before gliding back to his work station.

"What are you making in here? You have had me on privacy mode for the last week concerning this machine shop." Andromeda said looking at the work space that was currently covered with a sheet, "Oh, no, Harper you're not. I thought Captain Janeway said she was content not having an avatar."

"She doesn't know what she is missing and besides who is to say that Cassiopeia doesn't want one?" Seamus announced, "The body is almost done and then I will take it over to the Pearl and authenticate the system and voila it will be time for the wedding."

"I have a bad feeling about this Harper, why couldn't you just get Captain Janeway a normal wedding gift, you know something for what will be her and Dylan's house on Tarn Vedra?" Andromeda asked

"Oh I have that covered, don't worry your quantum processors." Harper exclaimed as he removed the sheet and installed a few more processing chips.

Andromeda fizzled out shaking her head while Harper moved the lifeless android to a grav cart to take it down to the Maru where he jumped ships and docked inside the Pearl.

Lieutenant Paris shook his head, "You are crazy, maybe that is why we are such good friends."

"She didn't suspect anything by you requesting me to come on board?" Harper asked

"Cassiopeia is clueless although I wonder how clueless she will be once you start your special project up." Tom laughed

"You did sneak the coding in exactly the way I told you to right?" Harper asked as he created a link to the Pearl's main computer.

"She didn't catch me if that is what you were referring to." Tom answered. I will tell you who was suspicious was Be'lanna, she wanted me to go with her to the wedding."

"So what is the story between you and her?" Harper asked

"Back on Voyager, which seems like such a long time ago now we had started to date. Here though everything is different, we just seem to be friends with benefits." Tom sighed

Harper plugged his data port in, "I will be right back I am going to connect the systems."

Once back mentally Harper unplugged himself and went over to the android. "Alright if this works we will either have an android that is completely ticked with us or she will be the Cassiopeia you know."

Harper unplugged the android from the Maru's computer and plugged in the battery pack.

Sitting up the android spoke, "Lieutenant Harper and Lieutenant Paris, why am I not surprised that you were collaborating in something?"

"What do you think of my handy work?" Harper asked

The Android looked at her hand and twisted it around, "You have created an avatar for me?"

"Yes, what do you think?"

Cassiopeia stood up and regarded herself in the mirror, "Rommie warned me about your obsession with android's bodies. I think you made my waist three centimeters too narrow and my chest bigger than it needs to be but it is acceptable."

"I am glad, I did something right this time." Harper announced

"I am curious why you did this now of all times?" Cassiopeia asked

"I thought it was completely unfair that you didn't get to go to your captains wedding while Andromeda does through Rommie of course." Harper said as he handed her a box of dresses.

"I guess you should call me Cassie then. I have been thinking on what I would call myself if I had an avatar." Cassie announced, "I think Cassie suits me, it is very close to Cassiopeia and I do believe it suits my more innocent personality."

Tom groaned slightly and shook his head.

Cassie turned to Tom and tilted her head, "Lieutenant Paris is something wrong?"

"No, it isn't." Tom said shocked, "I just didn't know what to expect, this is the first time I have been around a freshly activated avatar."

Cassie having sorted through the box of dresses selected out one that was High Guard approved and put it on, "You can stop staring now, I am no longer unclothed and I would rather you two didn't stare at me imagining what is underneath my clothing."

Tom shook his head and looked away while he attempted to clear his head.

Harper shrugged his shoulders and announced humorlessly. "Let's get you to the wedding Cinderella."

The Wedding was taking place on the beach in front of Dylan's child hood home that had been reclaimed when the real Tarn Vedra had opened up revealing the Seefra system as nothing more than a shadow of the real planet left there to deceive people. The waters were so clear that one could almost see to the underwater cities and the sun shone brightly with a soft cool breeze.

Rommie looked over as Harper filed himself into a row at the wedding on the groom's side of the aisle but then watched as Lieutenant Paris helped another person into a row on the Bride's side. Oddly enough the mysterious visitor looked like Cassiopeia and she hoped that Harper had not been indulging himself and his fantasies again.

Commander Rhade walked up to the podium and stood as the Groom's witness while Sam Wildman walked in to stand as the Bride's witness. Not knowing who would be able to make the wedding they had elected to not have a huge wedding party but instead just a small party consisting of witnesses.

Dylan made his way up to the Podium and stood with Rev Bem who had agreed against his better judgment to marry the couple. The music began and Katherine walked in dressed in a simple white dress that was far from what many modern brides wore but made the simple beach wedding perfect.

Mezoti and Naomi had begged to be in the wedding so they walked ahead of Captain Janeway and laid a path of flowers across the very fine sands of the Vedran beach. Tuvok had come with Rev Bem and had been asked to give the Captain away seeing as they had been the closest the longest. All the former voyager crew noted how strange it was to see the Vulcan in the rough hand sewn robes that were a trademark of the monks.

After the wedding which was short and simple but very sweet all the guests followed the Bride and Groom up to the grassy lawn just above the beach. Where tables and chairs had been set up with a table up to the side that was piled high with gifts of all shapes and sizes.

Cassie walked beside Lieutenant Paris who stopped near Be'lanna and he whistled at the beautiful house. "Are you sure our captain didn't marry him for his house?"

"Lieutenant?" Cassie asked unsurely

"I think this house is just an added bonus. I don't think Katherine even really knew of the house until recently." Be'lanna said in awe, "I haven't gotten to spend much time here on Tarn Vedra but I almost want to go see if I can find a single guy just so I can move here."

Cassie stepped away from the dreaming duo after barely being noticed by Be'lanna she made her way over to the newlywed couple. Rommie intercepted the newly created avatar and through the look in her eyes were of uncertainty to Cassie she handed Cassie a small bunch of flowers and nodded.

Cassie nodded back feeling an instant connection that had not been there before when she had met Rommie via her holograms she raised an eyebrow before continuing on. For some reason with the connection she felt neither of them found the need to speak to each other, they just seemed to know what was needed.

Cassie walked right up to the couple who were looking at each other across the cake for a picture. When Katherine looked over the first person she saw was Cassie.

"Cassiopeia, this is a much unexpected surprise, but how?" Katherine looked at her ships AI or rather a very good representation.

"Harper!" Dylan said slightly loudly but not displeased.

Harper appeared, "Yes, uhh, Boss?"

"Lieutenant Seamus Harper created this avatar for me as a wedding gift for my captain to allow her ship to be present at the wedding." Cassie nodded as she handed the flowers to her captain, "Captain please call me Cassie as that is the name I have taken for this form."

"I thought you didn't want an Avatar's form?" Katherine asked looking at Cassie

"That is not entirely true, I am still unsure about this form however but it is the fact that I am still young for an AI and I wasn't sure I was ready to feel exactly what the crew feels, but now that I am here I don't think I would change this fact for the life of me. I am sorry to steal this moment from your husband."

"No, it is alright, this is a very welcome surprise." Katherine said holding her hand out to shake that of her new Avatar.

Harper was just about to protest to not getting any credit when Rommie walked over and picked Harper up by his shirt collar. "You have some explaining to do Harper!"

Cassie turned to Rommie and instinctively followed Rommie around the corner of the house.

Katherine looked at Dylan, "Do you think we should go and save your engineer? It looked like Rommie might try and kill him."

"Harper can handle his own against Rommie and besides we would have some very disappointed guests if we went to go get in the middle of something that Harper probably brought on his own." Dylan shrugged

"Cassie's reaction was slightly weird but we can worry about it if harper doesn't return to the party after his daily hazing." Katherine nodded as she took Dylan's hand

Around the corner of the house Cassie stood there and watched at first as Rommie held Harper in the air by his shirt collar, "what did you do to me Harper?"

"I didn't do anything." The engineer squirmed as he tried to get out of his shirt.

"Your heart rate just elevated above its already elevated state and your pulse is off the chart. You are lying."

"No I am not! You are freaking me out right now, it is one thing hazing me in my machine shop, and it is another doing it at a party in front of my newest work of art." Harper said.

"Rommie let me hold him for a while!" Cassie said as she put his hand on his shirt collar and held the man above her head for a change of perspective.

"I ran a scan on myself just now and I had Andromeda run a remote scan as well, you added a file to my program matrix. My ship-self contacted the Pearl and had her run a scan on Cassie as well. You embedded us each with the same personality file." Rommie announced completely ticked off, "I can't speak for Cassie but I want it removed now, I have warned you many times about playing with my personality files."

"You're not the only two…" Harper sighed knowing he had lost

Rommie looked over to where Doyle was entertaining some guests and had not had contact with either her or Cassie the entire wedding, "Doyle has this program as well?"

"Yeah, I thought it was a good idea, I thought it would be a light hearted joke between the four of us." Harper squirmed, "I don't know if I can take it out, I can work on it back at the ship if you really want me to but I think you will like the change."

"Harper what does this program do exactly?" Cassie asked turning the engineer to face her.

"Nothing really, just helps the three of you relate to each other, almost as if you were really siblings." Harper admitted thinking he might get the grip on his shirt released.

To his displeasure Rommie had called Doyle over and Doyle took a turn dangling Harper above her head and she was taller than either Cassie or Rommie.

"We are going to be missed if we don't return to the wedding." Doyle said after holding Harper for a few minutes.

"That branch on the tree right there is low enough for Doyle to reach and strong enough to support Harper's weight." Cassie pointed out a branch not too far from their group.

Harper squirmed, "No, no, not the tree!"

A few hours later as guest started to leave the party Harper was found hanging from that tree unable to get out of his shirt he had just hung there waiting for someone to find him.

Dylan crossed his arms, "what have you learned this time Harper?"

"Never, ever, ever attempt to modify three avatars' personality files at the same time?" Harper asked

"Works for me." Dylan shrugged before walking off

"Hey, aren't you going to let me down?" Harper asked desperate

"It is my wedding day and the two of us are late for our honeymoon. I will have someone bring around a ladder for you." Dylan shrugged as he walked off with a slight laugh at the ingeniousness of three androids working together to haze his engineer.

"Thanks Dylan, I am going to remember this for years to come!" Harper cursed as he remained in the tree.


	22. Trance's Tale

Trance's Tale

Trance appeared in the corridor of the Andromeda and looked around. "So far so good she sighed." She had tried a few other probable futures and none of them had turned out so well. Well in this case she was in the past having swapped places with her past selves.

Listening around the corner she heard footsteps coming closer. Taking a deep breath she began to act normal for herself at least. Looping back so that she could walk into who ever was coming more naturally she walked straight into Dylan.

"Trance are you alright?" Dylan looked down at the gold girl with a odd look in his eyes.

"Oh yes Dylan never better. How are things for you?" Trance spouted off.

"Fine Trance… Didn't I run into you just back there?" Dylan pointed behind him.

"Oh you know me, I am here there and everywhere." Trance side shrugged

"No you seem different, did you go and change on me again? I thought we were done with that."

"Oh Dylan I can't pull anything past you can I?" Trance shrugged, "Let's just say some unforeseen events have caused me to have to grow up again."

"Trance what Unforeseen events? You can tell me after all we have been through!" Dylan took Trance by the arms

"No Dylan, no I can't. Not this time. You have had your story and while you are important to making everything work by being an anchor the keys are in the hands of someone that isn't from here." Trance sighed, "Tell me how is your wife?"

"Are you saying… No Trance you leave Katherine out of this." Dylan started to raise his voice.

Trance turned and started to run away but turned around with a smile on her face, "All I did was ask you about your wife." She then turned and ran before scooting down a ladder the way she had the first day he had ever met her.

Dylan closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Andromeda keep an eye on Trance for me."

Andromeda appeared, "Is she playing her mind games again captain?"

"Yes, no, I don't know, just tell me if her readings change. I will be in my quarters where I should have been almost an hour ago." Dylan turned and walked back in the direction he had come from.

Entering his quarters he took his jacket off and went to sit on his bed.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were going to come to bed tonight."

Dylan laid a hand on the hand that was placed on his shoulder. "I had some things I needed to take care of."

"Running a warship is starting to take its toll on you."

"I know it is, but I can't retire just yet, I just don't feel like there is an officer out there who is worthy of being Andromeda's captain. Maybe it is the 313 year attachment I have with her that is making me sentimental."

"Dylan it has only been 312…" the other person stopped at first glance of the look from Dylan.

"Katherine, can we just go to bed?" Dylan asked as he pulled his shirt off.

"Of course, it is just you know we have these two nights together because the Pearl is in dry dock being retrofitted with all new equipment. I swear it all worked fine, I don't know why they are doing it now." Katherine sighed.

"I think when Sarah left the plans for a class of ship to be named in her honor she wanted it to be known for always being the top of the line research vessel." Dylan sighed

"You know putting it that way makes it awkward. I am your wife yet I captain a ship that was designed by your fiancé." Katherine said sitting on one side of the bed.

"At least it isn't named the Sarah's pearl and your avatar doesn't look like Sarah." Dylan chuckled

"Yes I am glad because then you would have married my avatar and not me!" Katherine crossed her arms.

"No I wouldn't have, I was in love with you the first time I saw you. The door on Sarah closed twelve years ago."

Dylan lay back and stared at Katherine in the eyes, "Tell me if you could go back to where you came from would you go?"

"Dylan what are you talking about?" Katherine asked as she moved closer to him in the bed.

"Before coming back here I saw Trance… twice."

"Why do you say it like that?"

"I think Trance might have something with you being here." Dylan said

"I am here because you invited me to be here, not Trance, she is sweet and all but a little bit on the strange side what with being a sun and all."

"No not tonight, I mean here in general why you and your crew came to Tarazed in the first place."

"I find that hard to believe, she is mischievous yes but meddlesome not really."

"You don't know the older Trance as well as I thought you did. She has a tendency to be downright meddlesome when she needs to be." Dylan frowned, "No the first Trance I saw was our cute innocent mischievous Trance the second one I saw was much closer to the old Trance, the one who looked like she was holding the entire secret of the universe locked up inside, the one who had seen the fall of the entire universe."

"Well didn't you say that the current Trance was the result of amnesia set on by things she did to save the universe? Maybe she is just reverting and healing herself, maybe this is the way things are supposed to be?" Katherine asked as she rubbed her hand through Dylan's hair.

"No, that isn't quite it. She told me that she had to grow up because something terrible had happened. I then asked her to tell me and she said I didn't hold the key, that I was just the anchor. She then asked me how you were doing and then ran away." Dylan said relaxing a little.

"I think Trance was taking advantage of the witching hour and was severely messing with your head." Katherine said settling in.

Dylan looked at Katherine, "Speaking of bewitching, as soon as the night watch began Rommie went missing, she turned her sensors off early and Cassie is missing from her normal haunts. The last time you brought Cassie with you Beka found the Maru to have been rewired to shout something Cassie calls Ferengi limericks."

Katherine groaned, "I will speak to Tom about teaching Cassie those things. It is bad enough that her curiosity and My Lieutenant's mischief has gotten us in a few situations that have risked some of my crew being pulled from my command.

"Just as long as Rommie doesn't start picking up any those bad habits she is a war ship and I need her to be serious most of the time." Dylan grunted.

"I think it is cute that Harper programed Cassie to look to Rommie as an older sister." Katherine laughed

"Oh yes of course, it is fun when Rommie comes to command asking how to get rid of annoying little siblings." Dylan said half sarcastically.

Trance listened in and smiled as she heard Dylan and Katherine fall asleep. She then ran off to the hydroponics bay and started sorting through her old gardens once she found what she had been looking for she clenched her hand into a fist around the item.

Andromeda appeared, "Trance what are you doing?"

"Oh nothing, Andromeda, I was just thinking about replanting a few plants." Trance said holding out one of her hands showing that it was dirty and then she picked up a plant.

"Alright then, just don't make too much of a mess I have an inspection first thing in the morning." Andromeda disappeared.

Trance took a deep breath and uncurled her fingers, "Let's see if this is the magic year. Any earlier than this and they lose their confidence; any later than this and they reject her."


	23. New Life

New Life

Seven's eyes shot open and looked around highly confused as to where she was. Her mind was in a cloud and it was disconcerting to her. However her thoughts came back to her quickly and she remembered exactly what had transpired prior to her waking up in this strange environment.

Voyager had been running at minimal power for five days since she had come back with the doctor from an away mission and the ship had been empty. She and the doctor had been in engineering trying to get power back when the mobile emitter had started to malfunction. The Doctor had been her only companion and she knew she needed him. Before the problem could get any worse she had stopped what she had been attempting to fix and took him offline so she could reset the emitter. However as soon as she had done so she had gotten the feeling that she was spinning around in circles which progressed into what felt like being whipped around in circles however when she looked around engineering seemed to be completely normal. Soon after that she had lost consciousness and found herself lying on this bed.

Getting herself up into a sitting position she evaluated her surroundings. There was one door into the room and she spotted her suit and a few random pieces of voyager tech sitting on a chair by the door. Among those things was the Doctor's mobile emitter causing her to sigh in relief.

Looking over herself she found she was dressed in a loose fitting gown and had blue gel packs stuck to different points on her body. She tried to remove one however she found that however it was affixed that it would not just release from her skin.

Looking up to the sound of the door swinging open she saw a tall young woman with thick brown hair wearing a dress like outfit that could only be a uniform. Upon closer inspection Seven realized that the young woman could only be a girl of about thirteen. Seven realized that she was species 689 but that didn't make any sense. The Norcadians had refused any contact with Voyager.

"Seven?" the girl spoke softly, "the doctors informed me that you were awake."

"Do I know you?" Seven stared at the girl.

"Seven, it is me, Mezoti, most of the crew gave up hope of seeing you again. We thought you lost when we were transported here to Tarazed five years ago."

"I arrived on voyager only five days ago to find you all missing; this has to be a joke." Seven frowned at the girl.

"No Seven it isn't a joke. A security guard found you last week while he was doing his early morning rounds. Neelix and I only became aware of your being found four days ago when the hospital contacted us because of our similar pasts." Mezoti moved closer to Seven and rocked from her toes to her heels.

"If you are Mezoti tell me something that only she would know." Seven looked the girl who was claiming to be Mezoti up and down.

"When voyager gave me a home I irked you because I didn't want to be a part of your mini collective, I rebelled against you every chance I got. Lieu… Ensign Kim gave me a hair brush belonging to Ensign Lindsey Ballard because I had beautiful hair." Mezoti described some events.

"You tripped up on a word before you said Ensign Kim." Seven accused.

"Seven it has been five years, Ensign Kim got a promotion when he accepted his commission with the High guard. Something that was much deserved for him.

"Why did you come and not another member of the crew?" Seven asked

"Well Most of the voyager crew is off world serving on many different ships or have left the Commonwealth to attempt to liberate the Nietzschean's human slaves from their three hundred years of enslavement. Neelix had to work and Icheb, Azan and Rebi are off at the High Guard military academies. Naomi had a club meeting at school that she couldn't ditch or she would be here as well." Mezoti explained.

"Alright what is this High Guard you keep mentioning?"

Mezoti took a deep breath, "Everyone is fairly certain that there as some event that caused us to come here but the experts feel that we are in a different universe or time line from where we came from. But back there we had the Federation and inside the Federation was Starfleet. Well if you take The Federation and remove primary focus off humans and multiply it by three galaxies you have the Commonwealth and then inside the Commonwealth is the High Guard."

"Did you say Three Galaxies?" Seven asked.

"Yes, it is basic history; I had to do a lot of catching up when I started school here, The Andromeda Galaxy, the Milky Way Galaxy and where we currently are the Triangulum Galaxy."

The door opened and a woman wearing a white jacket walked in, "Young lady you should head home, visiting hours are about to end and you should be attending to your studies anyway."

"Yes ma'am" Mezoti nodded her head and glanced at Seven, "I will come back soon Seven."

"Just so you know, if you will bring your guardian by tomorrow I should be able to discharge your friend." The doctor nodded and Mezoti acknowledged with a nod as she walked out of the room.

Once Mezoti left the doctor turned to Seven, "As for you, you should get some rest. I will only discharge you tomorrow afternoon if you are well rested." The doctor frowned as she took some vitals.

"Is something wrong?" Seven watched the facial expressions

"Your White blood cell count keeps fluctuating." The Doctor shook her head, "we never had this much problem regulating the four children who were like you. I am going to need you to hold still while I administer another treatment."

The Doctor left the room and returned with a large cylinder with which she was pressing buttons on the side. She then attached a long thin metal tube to the end and rolled up Seven's sleeve and she swabbed off an area of skin and stuck it through Seven's skin.

Once she removed the syringe Seven flew her hand to her shoulder and rubbed it. "What did you just do to me?"

"I just injected you with a small dose of medical nanobots, they will treat your medical condition and then your body will absorb them. However if you are interested once you fully heal and you get acclimated to Tarazed we can see about removing your dependency on that alien tech. we discovered it purely by accident in the children but over time with regular treatments we should be able to do such thing. According to your scans your left eye is cybernetic which we should also be able to regenerate. Last year we were able to successfully remove the cortical node from the oldest child. But we can save the specifics for a later date."

Twenty-four hours later found Seven very cranky and ready to get out of that room. Mezoti walked in wearing a colorful sweater and a matching pair of pants with her hair tied in four braids that were doubled up into loops. Behind her to Seven's surprise was Neelix who was dressed much the same with the exception of his hair.

"You certainly look more than ready to get out of here Seven." Neelix looked pleased, "When I came home from work last week to find Mezoti holding a message key addressed to me that had been marked priority I had no clue it was pertaining to you."

"I take it you are Mezoti's guardian?" Seven asked.

"Yes when the rest of the Voyager crew went their own ways I decided someone needed to watch them. A few of the crew members offered but they all were going to have to give up some big things in order to do it. All crew members who had been Starfleet after going through a training course were given full commission into the High Guard and even in some cases a promotion as seen fit. I was always a Civilian so I didn't have the same offers however with some recommendations I have opened my own restaurant here in the Capital city of Tarazed."

"Mezoti mentioned Naomi, what about her?" Seven asked.

"Oh she lives with her mother just down the block from us actually. Naomi spends quite a bit of waking hours with us though as Sam commutes daily to the Tara Shol Drift where she works on the design crew that designs and builds the environmental systems on new starships."

"She had the option to move into an apartment on the drift with Naomi but wanted Naomi to have the chance to live planet side for a change." Mezoti said speaking up.

Seven announced her displeasure, "Are you just going to stand here and talk or am I getting out of here?"

"The Doctor said she would be right in." Neelix nodded and then lifted up a bag, "When she gives her ok and releases you I have a change of clothing for you."

"My suit is over there in the chair, I just assumed I would wear that." Seven stated.

"Well you could except that you will stand out very much so. Civilians don't wear too much skin tight clothing this time of year." Neelix described.

Mezoti nodded, "It is deep winter right now and we have to walk home as we don't live that far. Neelix doesn't want to invest in a hovercraft."

"There is no need, we live in the center of the city Mezoti and easy walking distance to anything important in the city. It is easy enough to hire a transport if we need to leave the city." Neelix said back.

The door opened and the Doctor walked in and took a reading of Seven's vitals. "You appear to have stabilized from yesterday. I want to see you here next week for another test and then weekly for at least the next month. No leaving the planet for the next week even to go to the drift." The doctor said as she removed the healing medical packs and shut off all the monitors.

Neelix set the bag down. "Mezoti and I will be waiting outside the door." Neelix wrapped his arm around Mezoti and guided her out the door to wait.

A few minutes later seven walked out of the room wearing a black pair of pants with a long blue sweater that was belted around the waist. She looked uncomfortable in the non-form fitting outfit.

"Naomi said she really liked that outfit said it would match your eyes. I guess she was right." Mezoti smiled

Neelix went to sign the discharge flexi and then held the door open.

Seven walked past Neelix with a nod. She was uncomfortable with how the crew seemingly was accepting this exile and how they had adapted. She held very close in her fingers the Doctor's mobile emitter and was hoping that once back at Neelix's she would be able to bring him back on line.

As they walked Mezoti skipped past Seven demonstrating that she had definitely learned how to be a child. And even though she acted all grown up and tried to be more mature than a thirteen year old she was still holding onto her childhood. As she skipped Seven heard her singing a song and she looked at Neelix.

"She has had that song memorized since before she even started school here on Tarazed. When we were still hoping to get home before we decided to make the best of everything she became infatuated with the High Guard and learned to sing the battle anthem. When she is happy and dreaming of the future she has decided she will lead she sings that battle chant. At first it irritated me that she would sing so proudly something like that but now I see how proud she is of it." Neelix sighed

"How are Icheb, Azan and Rebi? Mezoti said something of being in the academy?" Seven looked ahead at Mezoti.

"Icheb did a year at the high school while serving in the lancer club and volunteering at the home guard base. He then went on to serve in the home guard, he got special permission to serve right here because technically he was still being observed because of his unknown physiology. He then went on to serve a year as an enlisted personal up on the Tara Shone drift. Now he is in his second year of Argosy training."

"Argosy?" Seven looked confused.

"The High guard has two forms. The Argosy is the part of the military that commands ships and does the diplomatic foot work as well as space based fighting and research. The Lancers are the foot soldiers and do most of the planet side combat.

Mezoti stopped suddenly and pointed down a road, "that is where Naomi and I go to school." Then she pointed ahead to one of the taller hive shaped buildings, "Our apartment is on the fourth floor of that building straight ahead."

Seven followed behind casually observing her surroundings. Part of her wanted to admit that this had to be real but the other more logical side of her wanted to believe that maybe she was being tricked by another group of aliens playing a game with her. She flipped the mobile emitter around in her hand and decided she would try to get the Doctor online when she was alone.

Walking through the front doors of the apartment Seven looked around at the rounded lobby that was decorated with flowering plants. In the center of the building there was a square beam that when Mezoti pushed a button opened up to reveal an elevator.

When they exited out on the fourth floor they were in another circular chamber however there was no natural lighting although there were several plants growing in pots and climbing trellises that were fixed to the wall. Mezoti pulled out a card from her pocket and inserted into one of the three doors leading out of the room.

Walking through the door Seven noticed that like the first floor lobby the apartment was flooded by the dimming natural light outside which was quickly being replaced by the glow of the city. Neelix pressed a button on the wall and from the tops of the windows dropped down blinds which shut the apartment up and turned it dark. He then pressed another button and the apartment exploded in a very natural seeming lighting that while not bright and harsh but wasn't the dim glow of a semi-dark place.

Mezoti ran to another door on the other side of the common space, "Seven, you are going to share a room with me. Naomi suggested that we should redecorate and give you the boys' room but Neelix wanted to leave it alone so that they always have a place to call home."

Seven followed Mezoti into the bedroom and looked around, "Where are the alcoves?"

Mezoti threw herself down on the bed Seven assumed to be hers based on how the area around the bed was decorated and the other bed seemed to be sitting in a neat and orderly organization pattern. "Right here Seven." She placed her hand on a metal pole that was bent over the bed before disappearing under the mattress.

"When we first got here Lt. Torres and Lt. Kim attempted to get our alcoves to work but they weren't compatible with the Tarazed power grids. Those first few weeks the Andromeda was here getting repaired from a battle that nearly ended the New Systems Commonwealth. The engineer Seamus Harper heard our plea so he came and took a look. He quickly figured out what was wrong and within twenty four hours he had revamped the units by building us new alcoves that would allow for us to lie down." Mezoti explained, "You can change settings from the key pad on the side of the bed. Neelix and I moved the one onto your bed this morning from Icheb's bed."

"I thought you said Neelix wanted to keep everything in the boy's room for them?" Seven asked.

"Yes, but what is Icheb going to do with this now? He had his cortical node removed over the summer. Azan and Rebi plan to follow suit in the next year and no ifs about it I am going to have mine out the minute I turn eighteen." Mezoti crossed her arms and stared Seven down.

"How is it possible to remove them, when we were assimilated the node took over our higher brain functions. To remove them would kill us." Seven asked doubtfully.

"The doctor's came up with the theory that with genetic resequencing and the additional help of a specialized cerebral data port that it is possible. Azan and Rebi both chose to start the procedure last year and are currently taking a prescription injection to remove their nanoprobes. When their levels get down to a certain level the doctors here can proceed. I would start mine now except you have to be eighteen to have a data port installed." Mezoti stood up and looked through a hole in the closed blinds before changing the topic, "We have a really nice view in the daylight.


	24. The Truth About Mezoti

The Truth About Mezoti

Neelix knocked on the door, "I am starting dinner now. Mezoti you should come and do your homework before it gets too late."

Mezoti turned towards Seven and rolled her eyes, "Yes Neelix." She left the room after grabbing a side bag.

Seven waited a few minutes before opening a drawer next to her bed and slipping the Doctor's mobile emitter into it and covering it with the clothing that was inside.

She stood up to leave the room when she heard a chair slid across the floor and Mezoti run across the room. "Neelix! Seven! It's Icheb!"

Seven walked out and turned in the direction of the common room. She could hear Icheb's voice albeit deeper and more mature then the last time she had heard his voice. However when she rounded the corner she didn't see Icheb just a three dimensional projection.

"Seven it is good to see you again. Mezoti was just telling me of your arrival." The projection nodded, "I wish I could be there in person to see you right now."

Seven just stared for a moment trying to figure this out.

Mezoti turned, "Seven talk to him as if he were in the room. His projection is in real time."

"Greetings, Icheb. Mezoti was telling me you had your cortical node removed?" Seven asked bluntly raising her implant.

"Straight forward as always; I guess we don't have to worry about you being an imposter." Icheb laughed, "but yes I did and I have to say it feels much different more freeing, I don't have to worry about whether I will have the ability to plug in my alcove or not."

Neelix walked into the living room, "Icheb, how are you doing today?"

"Very well Neelix, I actually only have a few moments. I have a night class today. I wanted to call in to tell you a bit of news. I wanted you and Mezoti to be first to hear it."

Neelix sat in a chair, "Please do tell, you have my interest."

"Mezoti may want to sit down as well." Icheb guestured to Mezoti, "Seven if you want to as well you should."

Mezoti sat in the chair closest to her but sat on the edge of the chair.

"I was approached today and have been given the offer to be sponsored to attend the ivory league war college on Tarn Vedra for the next two years. This is the same college that Captain Hunt attended and no he isn't the one sponsoring me." Icheb explained

"I don't know what to say Icheb. I know you have had the grades behind you the whole time." Neelix nodded, "If you want to take it then you should.

"I was planning on it as long as I got no real objections. This would mean better promotions. I could end up captain of a Glorious Heritage in as little as five years if favor stays in my path."

Mezoti pouted, "But I was hoping you would stay close by for the next two years. I won't miss you as much as soon as I am able to start my tour of duty. First Azan and Rebi will be leaving soon after the new year to begin their enlisted service and you will leave as well for Tarn Vedra… you won't even be in this galaxy."

"Mezoti mind your attatchments." Seven scolded Mezoti.

Mezoti turned and glared at Seven.

"Mezoti, the acceptance won't be until next fall term. I will be around for the spring term. I guess Azan and Rebi haven't talked to you yet. They told me some news earlier when I saw them but then again they might still be on duty." Icheb crossed his arms, "I need to get going or I will be late for my class and that wouldn't look good on my letters of recommendation."

Icheb's projection collapsed in on itself in a flash of light and the transmitter went dark.

Mezoti stood and stormed back to the kitchen table while Neelix grabbed Seven's arm, "Seven mind how you talk to her. I raised her a little different then you had set out to do. I am not borg nor have I ever claimed to be so I raised the four of them to the best of my ability. Plus take in mind that she is a teenager, which is a difficult age for any child. Just take it easy she is taking everything very well for what it is worth.

Neelix walked back to the kitchen and stirred the pot on the stove, "Mezoti dinner is almost ready why don't you clear your homework and set the table. You can finish your homework after dinner."

Mezoti stacked her flexis and slipped them all into her bag before brushing past Seven as she put her bag into her room. When she came out she went to the sink and washed her hands before reaching into a cabinet and pulling out three plates. "It is just going to be the three of us right?"

"Is Naomi coming?" Neelix asked looking at the chronometer.

"No she left school early today. Sam wanted her to go to the drift and have dinner with her. She also said something about shopping at the drift's market place." Mezoti replied.

"Then it will be the three of us." Neelix nodded

As they ate dinner Neelix looked at the time, "Oh my we really were running late. I need to go back to the restaurant. One of my evening staff needed to take part of the evening off. In exchange he is going to work half my shift in the morning."

"But Neelix?" Mezoti stood up and followed Neelix to the door.

"Mezoti finish your dinner and then clean up. This isn't the first time I have left you alone. You also need to finish your homework and get to bed at a reasonable time."

"But Neelix!" Mezoti pleaded, "What if Seven expects me to act more formal? Like earlier?"

"Mezoti help her. This is all new to her. She helped you back when you were young when being an individual was new. Now you help her understand what a wonderful young lady you are becoming." Neelix patted Mezoti's shoulder.

"Yes Neelix." Mezoti sighed

"I will see you in the morning." Neelix nodded

"No you won't. If you are going to be up late tonight you won't be up to see me when I leave early to go do my hours at the base. Then after school I have practice followed by the basketball game which we are doing the half time show for."

"Well then I will see you then. I will make you something for breakfast and leave it for you." Neelix nodded, "Help Seven with anything she needs. Go, now be a good girl." Neelix headed for the elevator but paused, "Oh and send a message to Azan and Rebi that they should wait a few days before giving us their news."

Mezoti returned to the table and finished her dinner before cleaning up the table. Seven stood and came over to Mezoti. "Mezoti I am sorry for earlier, I need to remember as you say that it has been five years and you are not the same little girl who I had to teach how to live again."

Mezoti lifted her chin and looked Seven in the eyes, "Apology accepted."

"Will you show me how to function in this world? If I can help out it will be easier." Seven asked.

"I guess." Mezoti pointed to the sink, "We rinse the dishes in the sink and then put them into the dishwasher. Neelix likes the more archaic way of doing things. There are more modern ways to do this chore but he is partial to this way. He says it builds character."

"Neelix is a very wise man, but I am sure you know that. He might be eccentric and odd but he is wise." Seven nodded

Mezoti nodded in agreement but worked in silence. Once the last dish had been placed into the dishwasher she went to the communication receiver and brought up the message recorder.

"Hey Azan and Rebi! Neelix wanted me to tell you hi. We heard that you have news for us. Icheb spilled the beans earlier. We have news for you as well though Icheb will probably tell you if he gets in contact with you. Neelix wanted me to tell you that you should wait a few days to tell us. We have some scheduling issues in which Neelix isn't here tonight and I am busy all day tomorrow." Mezoti paused and then smiled, "I hope you stay safe and learn a lot." Mezoti pressed send and then shut the unit off.

Mezoti went back to her room and grabbed her bag before going to the table to finish her homework. Once she was finished she went to ask Seven something, "Do you want to play a board game with me?"

"What kind of game do you want to play?" Seven looked up at the girl.

"I think you will like it. I have been told it is an ancient Earth game although the vedran's modified it to make it more challenging. It is called Go and it is all logic and strategy to play the game. Neelix doesn't like the game, he says it is too serious. I used to play with Icheb and I can't play with Azan and Rebi because they still cheat worse than ever." Mezoti explained before seeing Seven's nod.

Mezoti ran into her room and brought out a box. Once she opened it up and set the boards on top of each other she handed Seven a dish of stones. She taught Seven for about an hour before she got ready for bed.

"Seven if you want to stay up you can but I am going to head to my bed. Do you want me to show you how to set up your alcove? I assume you want it to be set for instant regeneration." Mezoti said as she stood up.

"is there any other way?" Seven asked

"I have it set to start as soon as it detects that I am asleep. I like the thought of being able to sleep. It feels restful." Mezoti walked into the bedroom and pressed some buttons on the side of Seven's bed, "When you decide to go to bed it should start as soon as you lay down."

Mezoti went to her dresser and pulled out a pair of her pajamas and then went to the bathroom. When she returned several minutes later she had brushed out her hair and washed her face as well as changed. Going back to the room she sat on her bed and pulled the covers back.

Seven came in, "Mezoti, I know I have stepped on your toes but is there anything I can do for you?"

Mezoti looked at Seven, "Wow an apology and You show your soft side. Not that I can think of, Neelix stopped tucking me in when I was eleven." She climbed into bed and pulled the covers up around her before laying back and positioning her head on the special pillow with closed eyes she whispered, "But I am not too old for a bed time story."

"What do you wish to hear?" Seven said as she stood rigidly by the bedside.

"You can sit on the bed Seven, I won't bite. You can tell me anything you want. Sometimes Neelix makes up silly stories and other times he tells me about his day. Tell me what you think so far of Tarazed?" Mezoti peaked through her eyelids before closing them again.

Seven sat at Mezoti's side, "It is a very different place from Voyager or how I expect Earth would be. I am still uneasy by the fact that you mentioned that we are in a different galaxy."

Mezoti smiled and mumbled before falling silent, "I hope you find that you like it here, I like having you here."

Seven stood and left the room shutting the door. Pausing for a second Seven looked in at the girl sleeping there and thought of the little girl she had known her as just the other day. She had grown up and she had to admit Neelix had done his best to shape her into an individual. Going back to the living room Seven pulled out the file she had been reading before Mezoti had gotten her playing that game.

About an hour later Seven heard the door click open as the lock was disengaged on the door. Jumping to her feet she looked for something in case the person coming in meant to harm her in any way. She still didn't totally trust everything around her as being the truth.

Neelix walked in and closed the door, "Seven! What are you doing?" he said surprised as he almost dropped the bag he was carrying.

Seven set the object she had picked up from the table down.

"If you thought I was an intruder, you can rest easy on that fact. Tarazed has an extremely low crime rate. The commonwealth in general has a low crime rate because they take criminal behavior as a serious offence."

"So not only was this place a last refuge but it is also a paradise?" Seven looked around. "That sounds a little like a coincidence to me."

"Seven, what do you mean?" Neelix asked, "It is not a coincidence, you weren't here our first two years we struggled greatly. The first year we all lived together the second year they began splitting us up taking those who wanted to join the high guard away one by one. Originally it had been said that for any of use to gain citizenship here on Tarazed we had to serve the high guard for at least five years. Then a Triumvir visited and tasted my cooking she pulled strings and got me immediately my citizen id numbers so that I could open a restaurant. She told me it was because it had been so long since anyone had had any fresh idea's here concerning cuisine." Neelix described.

Seven didn't give any defense although Neelix sensed she wanted to however she was for once at a disadvantage being that she didn't know enough about Tarazed or the commonwealth.

Neelix set the bag down on the counter and pushed Mezoti's bedroom door open slightly. He turned to Seven, "How long has she been asleep for?"

"An hour why?" Seven walked over to Neelix and looked in.

"I don't go to bed at night without being sure she starts regenerating." Neelix replied.

"I thought she told me it starts automatically." Seven frowned.

"Oh it does, there are just some complications every now and again." Neelix watched and nodded as the alcove light popped on and he heard the click that indicated Mezoti was now regenerating. "The automatic thing came from shortly after I received custody of her and the twins. She was invited to go to a sleepover, however she couldn't go because while smaller they aren't exactly sleepover material. Well as a compromise I agreed to let her friends come here. She hated the idea because then they would see that she didn't sleep and all that. So I additionally agreed to let her fall asleep and then I would come in and wake her so she could regenerate after everyone else was asleep."

"That doesn't sound automatic to me." Seven frowned.

"No that comes later. Seamus Harper who invented this design comes in to service them every few months," Neelix continued, "Mezoti chatted his ear off as she has a tendency to do as you know. She told him about how I had allowed her to sleep once before regenerating, that she had never been able to do that before and that she enjoyed it. Harper told her that he could create a program that would allow her to always do that. He did so and it has been quite effective."

"So what is the issue?" Seven asked

Neelix shut the door and moved away from the bedroom. "I don't say this in front of Mezoti and I don't want you to either. It would ruin the hope that she has. You heard how Mezoti wants her cortical node out right?"

"Yes she was quite insistant about having it out as soon as she turns eighteen.

"If something isn't done soon Mezoti won't live to see her seventeenth birthday. Her cortical node is failing seven. She was so young when she was disconnected that it can't handle her naturally maturing form. Or at least that is what the doctor's here theorize. Of course they don't have the knowledge that you have of the borg." Neelix frowned.

"I don't have any other information, there is a reason why the borg rapidly mature any young they assimilate. As far as I know she is the only child freed from the collective to survive. Not many people make an attempt to free their young from the borg without being assimilate themselves." Seven looked towards the bedroom.

"If she doesn't regenerate then in the morning I have to take her to the hospital for an emergency treatment they have developed which will stabilize her higher brain functions. It also temporarily stops the shutdown of her cortical node. So far we are on week six since her last treatment which makes it the longest streak in the last year." Neelix described.

"And you don't think she has a right to know?" Seven stared Neelix down

"I have had the doctors tell her that we can beat this. I am petitioning for her to have the surgery early. However most doctors within the commonwealth won't even consider it many were against doing it at eighteen in the first place. Others are so afraid of the free trade alliance that they won't offer the surgery in the first place then there are the doctors who don't care what they practice, I wouldn't trust a sea monkey to them."

"If I remember Lieutenant Paris' description enough Sea Monkeys were just freeze dried shrimp." Seven defined the term

"Exactly my point seven." Neelix nodded, "There is one doctor here on Tarazed that thinks she may be able to do the surgery however she is currently testing out her methods on samples and simulations. I don't tell her because hope is keeping her alive, she thinks she is getting better with each treatment so she keeps up her day to day life. If she knew she was actually getting worse she would quit the Lancer club and probably refuse to do anything. I tried that with her keeping her out of clubs I mean, when we first learned there was a problem. She went downhill a lot faster not having a outlet and a bright outlook to look at."

Seven set down the flexi she had been reading from, "I should regenerate."

"Sweet dreams Seven. I will see you in the morning." Neelix nodded as he went to put the bag he had been carrying into the refrigerator and then went into his room as well.

Seven went into the room and looked at Mezoti. She was tempted to brush the girl's hair out of her face but hesitated. She didn't want to disturb the now regenerating teen.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed she contemplated whether she should pull back the covers or just lay on top. She was just regenerating and technically had no need for the blankets and besides the climate control in the apartment was at a more than comfortable level. Laying her head back into the hoop she heard the familiar click as her cortical node engaged with the unit.


	25. The first day

The First Day

When Seven opened her eyes there was a little bit of light filtering through the blinds. Seven sat up and looked around. Seeing the chronometer read seven hundred hours she looked over at Mezoti's bed to find it empty and made.

Going out to the kitchen Neelix was moving about preparing food at the stove. "Where is Mezoti this morning?"

"Oh she left for school over an hour ago. Well school doesn't technically start for another hour but she volunteers a few days a week at the Home Guard base down the street, it is a requirement of the Lancer Club." Neelix set down his spatula. "I keep a very close eye on her and she has frequent visits with her doctor."

"But you said she doesn't know about how serious her condition is." Seven restated. "No she doesn't her just goes for check-ups to make sure she is doing fine and it has been six weeks since she needed a treatment." Neelix said putting a plate on the table. "Cali-Melon pancakes with orange juice from real oranges, not the synthetic kind. How did you regenerate Seven?"

"I am unaccustomed to lying down to regenerate. It was a different experience." Seven sat down at the spot indicated.

"I hope you enjoy it, I tried to make it as nutritionally balanced while keeping it as close to a typical Tarazedian breakfast as possible. I am even cooking some sausage." Neelix walked over with a frying pan and put two brown links on her plate before walking back and picked up a second plate.

"This is actually quite relaxing. I can't tell you the last time I had the morning off. I usually get Mezoti ready for school and then send her off. She and Naomi entertain themselves for an hour and then Naomi is usually over here until Sam gets off duty." Neelix said coming to sit down.

"Naomi Wildman will be here after school then?" Seven enquired.

"No, not today and neither will Mezoti. They both have club meetings which end with the basketball game this evening, which if you are up for we will attend. Naomi is in the cheer club as technically she is too young for the lancer club and as such participates in all basketball games. Tonight is a home game so the lancer club has asked to show their school pride and give a short demonstration during the half time show." Neelix nodded.

"Basketball: as in the archaic sport where humans chase an orange ball around and throw it into a net?" Seven inquired

"Well here it isn't archaic. It has never gone out of style well at least not with the youth. All the schools still play basketball, football and a variety of other sports. There are some adult leagues but most people let the children have all the fun with them."

"I will go if it means a lot to Mezoti." Seven nodded.

"Wonderful, we will have an early dinner and go over early so we can get good seats and not be crowded into the corner." Neelix smiled.

"These places are crowded?" Seven asked getting uneasy.

"Yes but I know you are uneasy in a crowd which is why we will go early and get an end seat on the bleachers." Neelix assured.

Neelix finished eating his breakfast before looking at the time. "Well I have the morning off however I have shopping and inventory taking for the restaurant, if you want you can join me."

"If it is alright with you I will remain behind. I wish to read more about the culture of Tarazed so I don't embarrass myself in front of people. It is strange not knowing everything about a culture." Seven nodded.

"Well then would you care to run down the hall and meet the super? I still need to see about getting you a key card so that you will be able to come and go." It will take a day or two to make the card and get it initialized so you should come meet him so that he can let you back in if you leave the apartment." Neelix informed.

"Couldn't I just use yours?" Seven asked

"Unfortunately it doesn't work like that. People are issued one card via the city center that is locked to your specific DNA. You can then have the card initialized at places you own and rent. My card opens the door to this apartment as well as the doors to my restaurant. Mezoti's gives her access to the apartment, authorizes her to enter certain locations of the Home Guard base, her locker at school and the back door to my restaurant."

"I need to go with you to do this process?" Seven asked.

"No, I went to the Triumvirs' the other day and presented your case. They have agreed to give you residential status for the time being. While it is not citizenship status and you will not be permitted to own your own business or enter the military you will be able to come and go of your own accord." Neelix said, "All I need to take with me is a strand of your hair to confirm that you match the file they received from the hospital."

Seven raised her implant but complied by pulling out a loose strand of hair. "Will this be sufficient?"

"Of course," Neelix grabbed a small container and seven dropped it into the bowl and covered it. Neelix then took the dishes and put them into the dishwasher. "Seven let me introduce you to the super so that he will let you back in if you decide to leave at any point during the day."

Neelix took Seven down to a desk on the first floor. "Mr. Stark, good morning my dear friend!"

"Morning Neelix is there anything I can do for you?" the man behind the desk said.

"I would like you to meet my friend Seven. She will be living with Mezoti and I for a while. She is registered as a resident however I have to go and get an ID card made for her. If she needs anything would you be able to assist her?" Neelix asked.

The man stood up and came around the desk and eyed Seven up and down, "You certainly keep some interesting company Neelix." He turned to Seven, "I am Ozark Stark and I live in apartment 1A, if I am not here at the desk I will most likely be there. Welcome to Tarazed by the way."

"Thank you. Tarazed seems like a unique culture." Seven nodded

"That it is, did you know that we were the last strong hold of the All Systems Commonwealth for three hundred years and were actually one of the last systems to join with the New Systems Commonwealth."

"No, I don't believe I did. I am slowly reading through the public database. I have read up on social structures and the levels of government here on Tarazed." Seven informed the man.

"Well I must make my rounds, Seven, if you would like to make them with me I can fill you in on the fine points that the pamphlets can't completely prepare you for. I can then let you into your apartment." Mr. Stark invited.

"Thank you but I think I will pass this time; maybe another time?" Seven nodded and politely excised herself from the conversation.

Seven followed Neelix back to the apartment, "He seems nice although a little too friendly." Seven informed Neelix once back in the apartment.

"He is just very intrigued by new citizens'. Tarazed went three hundred years without gaining one new citizen much less a resident. It has only been in the last five years that new people have started to flock to the planet grateful for the stabile infrastructure." Neelix stated, "In fact those of us from Voyager were some of the first new faces. We had to go through a year at refugee status because they didn't know what to do with us."

"Neelix, you said you needed to get going because you had shopping to do. I believe I will be fine here." Seven said putting an end to the conversation.

"Alright, there should be a container of leftover from dinner last night or help yourself to anything in the refrigerator." Neelix nodded, "Also feel free to open the blinds just remember to turn the lights off beforehand." Neelix left the apartment with a few empty bags.


	26. The First day pt2

AN: Just a notice that although I have been updating fairly frequently there is a 75% chance that I will not be updating on the 8th of March as I am looking to be visiting a friend.

Seven went to controls for the main room and shut the lights out before pressing the other button that Neelix had pressed and the blinds rose up into the ceiling bathing the room in natural sunlight that reached across the entire room. Looking out the window Seven gazed upon the park and all the other buildings spread about to allow each building to absorb the sunlight. The architecture was amazing and the city seemed to have been designed for a very specific purpose and not just to provide shelter for its citizens. The city was an art form in itself.

Pulling herself away from the window she picked up the flexi from the night before but set it down to go to the bedroom where she opened the drawer that she had hidden the mobile emitter in. pulling it out she turned it over and examined it in the artificial light that still lit the bedroom. The casing seemed undamaged so Seven took the emitter to the kitchen and looked through the drawers until she found a tool that was small enough to manipulate the small sensors.

Pressing in the buttons she held the emitter away from her and sure enough the Doctor took form.

"Please state the nature of the Medical emergency." The Doctor replied calmly in his default greeting. However when he attempted to turn to seven he started to flicker out, "I can't seem to maintain my form." The Doctor replied as Seven tried to press some of the buttons but the Doctor shut down instead and all attempts to restart his program failed.

Seven dropped the mobile emitter and fell to her knees when she realized that restarting the Doctor was futile. Picking up the mobile emitter Seven stuck it back in the drawer hiding it from being found and then returned to the flexis that she had been reading, if she couldn't get the doctor working she might as well assimilate more information on the Commonwealth.

Seven heard the electronic latch to the door activate so she set down the flexi she had been reading from.

The door swung open and Mezoti walked in.

"Mezoti aren't you supposed to be in school?" Seven asked the girl.

"Yes, although it is my lunch period and I forgot something this morning. Naomi is grabbing my lunch for me so I can come and get my force lance." Mezoti said stepping into the bedroom.

"What is a force lance?" Seven asked coming to the door.

Mezoti was pulling a metal cylinder out of a drawer in her desk. "This is a force lance although it isn't fully functional; they wouldn't give a child a real one ever. Basically this one is a glorified flashlight, although I am the only one in the club who actually owns her own. Naomi has one but she isn't in the club yet."

"What is marked into the force lance?" Seven asked pointing to the markings in common.

"Oh the crew of the Andromeda signed it for me." Mezoti pointed to one of the markings, "This one is from Trance Gemini the medical officer and it says there is always one perfect possible future." Mezoti pointed to another, "This one says nothing worth doing is ever easy and it is from Dylan the captain. This one is my favorite though," Mezoti pointed to another, "be strong and brave and overcome all obstacles, Beka Valentine the head pilot wrote that one, I hope to learn to pilot slipstream from her one day."

"Is it common to sign these force lances?" Seven asked

"Nope, it was a present for my birthday, Naomi's isn't signed though because it was from captain Janeway and her crew and signing mine was Trance's idea." Mezoti went to the refrigerator and opened the door, "Cali Melon! Did Neelix make you his famous Cali Melon pancakes?" Mezoti turned around with a chunk of the melon in her hand. "Are you coming tonight?"

"I intend to attend with Neelix." Seven nodded

"Awesome, I should be getting back to school though now." Mezoti turned and went to the door.

When Neelix returned home he found Seven sitting on the couch reading through another Flexi. "I take it you found plenty to do today?"

"Indeed, I have read through much of the public database and assimilated its contents." Seven said standing up

"Well then what do you think?" Neelix asked

"The history of the Commonwealth is quite extensive." Seven nodded.

"That it is and I bet you probably know more than I do at this point." Neelix laughed

"Mezoti stopped by around noontime." Seven replied.

"She did, did she?" Neelix sighed.

"She said she forgot her force lance." Seven replied.

"Well then I guess that was called for, you can't go to Lancer club without your force lance." Neelix laughed

"She said hers isn't fully functional and that no one would give a child a real force lance. What exactly is a force lance?"

"You know the phasers we used on voyager? Well take that and combine it into a metal tube with a flashlight and an extension mode to turn it into a hand to hand combat weapon and you have a force lance." Neelix frowned, "I was concerned when Icheb first brought one of those training ones into the apartment but once I learned those don't do anything other than light up and extend I was a little more comfortable with the idea."

Later after eating Neelix showed Seven to the school gymnasium, "I have noticed that while the flexi's in the apartment read with a standard alpha numeric writing style the rest of the planet does not seem to follow that pattern."

"Yes the writing style of the commonwealth is a modernized hieroglyphic writing style. People still read alpha numeric though often when reading long passages however it is usually a secondary acquired skill. I have learned how to read it to be sufficient however I often need an employee or Mezoti to clarify. The sign over the school however says Hunt Memorial."

"Hunt as in Dylan Hunt captain of the Andromeda Ascendant, the man who is credited with restarting the Commonwealth?" Seven asked

"That would be the man, there are several things named after him here on the planet. He is a legend. This planet was founded by his former fiancé when he ordered her to wait for his return." Neelix confirmed

"That whole file had me confused, how did he end up in this time if he was present at the fall of the old commonwealth?" Seven asked

"Local lore has it that he was frozen for three hundred years at the edge of a black hole." Neelix shook his head, "other than that you would have to ask him yourself when you get to meet him."

"When I get to meet him?" Seven asked as they walked through the door and a woman ran to Seven and hugged her tight.

"Seven it is good to see you. I am sorry I didn't get to visit you before now."

Seven recovered and looked at the woman who Seven no identified as being an older Naomi Wildman. "Naomi Wildman you have grown!"

"Mom thinks I am fully grown, which stinks because I am only ten." Naomi laughed, "I am glad you could come tonight. Everyone is excited for this game, we are facing Starry Wisdom Academy and it is being highly predicted that we could whip them into place for the first time in fifty years."

"Naomi we need to practice one more time!" A girl called across the gym.

"I have to go; I will see you after the game Seven." Naomi said waving as she ran across the gym.

Neelix took Seven to the bleachers and they watched the Naomi practice with the rest of her team.

When the game began the gymnasium all of a sudden filled up with people watching and the bands started playing. Neelix leaned over, "How are you doing Seven?"

"This room is quite loud." Seven winced at the assault of noise.

"It will only last a few minutes. They like to pull out all the stops for the beginning of the game." Neelix paused, "This is our team coming in now."

Seven looked in the opposite direction, "I this even a fair game? The other team seems larger than the team you say belongs here."

"Starry Wisdom Academy is located very near the Nietzschean quarter so many Nietzscheans go to school there. We do have a few Nietzscheans here; I am just relieved that the school boards require Nietzschean children to wear those rubber arm guards when playing sports like this although it doesn't stop them from attempting to cheat."

"What exactly is a Nietzschean?" Seven looked at the group of kids.

"Genetically engineered Humans although they have pretty much had their humanity bred out of them. They live their lives by the word of Nietzsche a human philosopher. They are bred to live longer stronger and survive in any situation. They are super competitive and furthering and strengthening their genes is the only goal they have. The way I look at it is take a Klingon and strip them of their want for honorable death and put them in a human body with bone blades on their wrists and you have a Nietzschean."

As the game started Seven seemed to watch though largely unimpressed. Neelix seemed to get into the spirit with the crowd of cheering for the home team. Towards the end of the first half Neelix pointed out an older boy playing defense for Starry Wisdom academy, "That is Thor Khalid the oldest son of Captain Janeway's first officer."

"I did read something about Nietzscheans and a rebellion. If they rebelled and were the cause of the fall of the Commonwealth why are they here on Tarazed?" Seven leaned over and asked Neelix.

"Good question, I asked that and I was told that not all Nietzscheans followed the same path. The Majoram pride largely thought of the rest of the Nietzscheans bullies and rogues. In any sense this is the only planet that you will find humans and Nietzscheans living in a completely peaceful community structure. If there are unmodified humans on other Nietzschean worlds then they are slaves. A number of the former Marquis went to join the Bostonians a group of freedom fighters who rose up against the slavers."

Seven listened but before she could say anything the court cleared and the announcer announced, "Hunt Memorial Lancer Club."


	27. Lancer Club Drama

Mezoti stood at the doorway entering the gym. She felt bad that she hadn't been able to go out and see Seven and Neelix before her time but she and the club had been practicing nonstop since one of the parents had brought them all dinner three hours prior.

Naomi had snuck back to tell her that they were there and she had wanted to see them.

Listening to the commands she began to march into the gymnasium where they signaled to the crowd using the required hand signs and marched in time with each other. Halfway through their program they all drew their lances in sync and began to twirl and toss them. She sighed silently as she knew that if she was ever caught using such unspecific terms by the club captain she could be removed from the club. She looked quickly to Seven and wondered what seven was thinking of this coming from the girl who had never wanted to follow her directions at all.

Mezoti marched off the floor and went to the back room where they had been practicing. She grabbed her bag containing her school uniform and went to the changing rooms to wait to change into it.

"Hey Mezoti!" a voice called after her

Mezoti turned around to see Victoria Rhade come running over. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to say I think you have really improved. Though I couldn't help but notice you nearly fumbled on the last elemant. If this had been a real competition you could have cost us the whole competition." Victoria said with her nose up.

"I was doing my best out there and don't worry I wouldn't dare mess up and risk costing you a victory. I know how important they are to you and your families breeding status." Mezoti sighed

"My breeding status? I could care less about that. That shows how little the two of us know each other." Victoria laughed

"I don't really make a practice out of hanging with the Nietzscheans." Mezoti said walking towards a changing room.

"Maybe you should rethink that. I know you have heard some bad things about my people but you would be surprised to find out that majority of Majorum pride are not like that at all. I am actually only in the lancer club to appease my father and our Alpha. I have no intention of following my brother Telemachus into the High Guard." Victoria smiled, "I want to be a historian and a poet, what my people were actually engineered to do."

"Well good for you. If that is the case you don't need to be so judgmental and arrogant." Mezoti stepped into the changing room.

Victoria grabbed the door, "I am sorry it came out like that. I really do try to be nicer to other people but I really think arrogance and being judgmental are a genetic trait that runs in my family. I just wanted to really come and tell you that you did a good job and that I like your style for the most part."

"Well, thank you I guess." Mezoti looked at Victoria, "Can I get changed now?"

"Of course, sorry." Victoria released the door and walked away.

When Mezoti was changed she stepped out and looked around to see if Victoria was still hanging about. Instead she found Naomi. "Shouldn't you be out cheering on the crowds and not back here?"

"Well as of five minutes ago I am off the cheerleading club. The school administration just approved my transfer to the Lancer club even though I am only ten." Naomi smiled.

"You may be ten but you look like an eighteen year old, you could drop out of school and obtain a fake document go to a back water recruiting center and join the high guard today if you wanted. No one would be any the wiser." Mezoti said walking beside Naomi.

"You want to go out and sit with Neelix and seven for the rest of the game?" Naomi asked.

"Yes, of course. Maybe we can get some good laughs in at Thor from Starry Wisdom." Mezoti grinned.

"Did Neelix ever find out about the pranks we pulled on him at the last party." Naomi whispered.

"No although Captain Janeway blamed us for one of the pranks Thor played on us. Said it was unprofessional and that we should know better." Mezoti mimicked.

Naomi shook her head, "she might want to spend some more time around her first officers oldest son, he isn't the perfect little angel his dad makes him out to be. But I guess that is a Nietzchean for you, so proud of their offspring that and how superb their genes are that they can do no wrong."

Mezoti didn't answer back because they walked out into the gymnasium and passed Starry Wisdom's bench where Thor was sitting obviously against his will

Going around the court they climbed up into the bleachers and squeezed in beside Seven and Neelix.

After the game Naomi and Mezoti grabbed their bags, "Neelix can you walk me home? Mom doesn't want me walking home alone especially where she isn't going to there tonight. She said I could stay there alone tonight but she has to pull an all nighter. They had a priority ship come in that needed a complete overhaul."

Mezoti walked alongside Naomi on the way back to Naomi's apartment, "You sure you don't want to stay at our place?"

"I am sure. I am finally old enough to stay alone in Mom's eyes. I want to take advantage of it. Besides it is awkward sleeping in the boys room. I also plan to go to the drift at first light and have a late breakfast with Mom. She just doesn't want me walking alone at night." Naomi answered, "If you ever get tired of sharing a room with seven maybe you can have a sleepover at our place?"

"Maybe but it would have to be a weekend so I could go home and regenerate after. I have been getting these awful headaches if I fail to regenerate." Mezoti sighed, "Sometimes I hate my implants so much. I can't wait till I am eighteen."

After dropping Naomi off at the apartment Mezoti dragged her feet back to their apartment. She barely even made it to say goodnight to Neelix. She had such a long day. She had to make a note that in the future she shouldn't sign up for volunteer hours on days when she was going to be out late at competitions.


	28. Unexpected Visitor

AN: Please pardon the fact that the last time I updated this story I did so with a chapter several chapters ahead of this one. As a consolation prize I have uploaded all the chapters between the previous chapter and my misuploaded one.

**Unexpected Visitor**

The next morning when she opened her eyes she heard some noise in the living room. Getting up she quickly smoothed back her bedcovers and grabbed a change of clothes. She really didn't want to disturb seven at all so she was making it a quick in and out although she was really curious about who was in the apartment. Neelix should be at the restaurant by this time.

Opening the door to find the blinds already up in the main room she gasped when she saw Icheb standing in front of the windows. "What are you doing here?"

"Well after learning that Seven was here I spent the whole week trying to figure out a way to get up here and see her. I couldn't finagle any leave though. I got looking through my course load and found that there was an assignment I needed to complete before I transfer. I need to visit the museum and write an article on the development of the commonwealth fleet from coronation year 0 to the fall and how the fleet of the new commonwealth measures up to the old one." Icheb explained

"Sounds boring," Mezoti frowned.

"I guess that means you don't want to come with me?" Icheb asked

"You want me to come with you?" Mezoti asked shocked.

"Of course, you have an eye for detail and uniqueness that I do not possess." Icheb nodded, "I also want Seven to attend with me as well it would give me time to visit with her while maximizing my efficiency."

"You should stop sounding like a Borg; you don't even have your implants anymore." Mezoti crossed her arms.

"We have our weird nuances that came with us from the collective. I mean my time management skills are better served than your obsession on how insects work together as a collective." Icheb laughed.

"It is good to hear you laugh a real laugh." Mezoti sighed, "And I do not study insects anymore. That ended soon after coming to Tarazed when I picked up those flesh eating maggots that live deep in the woods."

"You are way more emotional than you let on and you can't deny that you still obsess over insects. I have seen you run as fast as you can to the space port when you learn that members of the Than Hegemony are visiting." Icheb sighed

"That is completely different." Mezoti pointed her finger, "With the Than that one time it was because I had never seen a Than before and I wanted to see one. They are a very unique species."

"Ok, whatever you want to believe Mezoti. Do you know when Seven will be getting up?" Icheb asked

"Should be soon, she doesn't sleep, remember so she should be finishing her regeneration cycle shortly." Mezoti sighed, "I am going to get dressed, and should I wear anything special?"

"Just dress nicely, I don't want to be seen with anyone dressing like a slob." Icheb smiled.

"I do not dress like a slob ever Icheb, I take pride in my appearance." Mezoti scowled. "But I won't do anything strange with my hair today if that is what you mean."

"I am going to go down to the restaurant and see Neelix. Bring seven down there when she gets up." Icheb said heading out the door.

Mezoti ran to the bathroom and put on her clothes and brushed her hair out before shifting her hair around and pinning it so that her implant was covered up. Rubbing some styling gel to hold her hair in place she left to peak into the bedroom. Seeing the alcove shut off she threw the door open and jumped on Seven's bed.

Seven's eyes flew open, "State your intentions Mezoti!" Seven then looked at the chronometer, "You should be at school."

"No I shouldn't it is a Saturday. Only supplemental lessons are held and after a few years ago, the teachers told me that unless for some reason I started to struggle at school they didn't want to see me again for one of those lessons." Mezoti crossed her arms.

Seven sat up and promptly stood up.

"You have been ordered to get dressed nicely and come with me to the restaurant." Mezoti said in her most official voice.

"Who does this order come from?" Seven asked looking a little annoyed.

"That is top secret and only to be revealed at the Restaurant." Mezoti smiled and left the bedroom.

When Seven stepped out of the bedroom dressed Mezoti had been sitting in the living room growing impatient, "Took you long enough!"

"If you would tell me who it is we are meeting and for what reason I might be more cooperative." Seven raised her implant.

"Not going to tell. I am good at keeping secrets and I will not tell you who is here until we get to the restaurant." Mezoti pinched her lips together and shook her head before jumping up and pushing open the door.

Seven sighed and followed Mezoti to the elevator and from the elevator to the street. Mezoti expertly guided Seven down the street close to the space port and city center. Once they were in an upscale neighborhood that ran along the spaceport and city center Mezoti led seven into a building that looked slightly out of place in the neighborhood. Inside the environment was warming and much like the apartment with the window running the entire length of the main room and the room was curved as seemed to be the style.

Mezoti turned to Seven and indicated that she should be followed, "Seven what do you think of Neelix's restaurant?"

"It suits him Mezoti now will you tell me who you dragged me here to meet?" Seven asked.

Mezoti shook her head and looked up at Seven, "Take a seat here at the counter while I go get Neelix to make us some breakfast." Mezoti skipped to the kitchen door and slipped inside.

"Neelix, could you make two of my usual order?" Mezoti asked rubbing her foot on the tiles.

"Are you sure that is what seven wants?" Neelix asked

"She can't read the menu and I mean I don't get anything too strange and it is nutritionally sound, I doubt Seven will dislike it." Mezoti smiled and then turned to Icheb, "And you should bring it to us, she will never expect that."

"I am not a food server!" Icheb said sternly

"You are today." Mezoti smiled.

"Neelix does my uniform say food service on it?" Icheb said looking down at his uniform.

"No but it wouldn't hurt to do it this once. She is right Seven will not expect it and you three are eating on the house today." Neelix shook his head.

Icheb glared down at Mezoti who smiled and left the kitchen and returned to the counter. "I ordered you the same thing I usually get, I hope you like it."

Seven looked down at the girl, "Who are we meeting here? I do not recognize any of the customers in this establishment."

"You will find out in a few minutes." Mezoti grinned from ear to ear and then engaged Seven in a conversation that kept her from looking towards the kitchen.

A few minutes later Mezoti heard two plates sliding across the counter and she saw Seven look towards the counter but then pause, "Icheb I was not informed that you work here."

"I told Mezoti that you wouldn't get surprised. I don't work here. I came down for the day. I wanted to see you Seven." Icheb informed the older woman.

"You didn't need to make a special trip down here. I understand you are very busy with your training at the academy. Are you pursuing science and astrometrics?"

"No I am actually on the Command track. I became interested in the command of a warship and the strategy. It is actually quite an interesting process commanding a warship I mean." Icheb nodded, "My visit today isn't completely social, I have an assignment to complete that requires me to attend an exhibit at the museum and I would like you and Mezoti to accompany me."

"If you believe that it would be an appropriate action to take." Seven inclined her head.

Icheb tilted his head down and whispered, "I wouldn't look now but the Persied in booth five is checking us out."

Mezoti saw Seven glance sideways before she was asked, "Which one is the Persied?"

"The blue one with a chin." Mezoti said lowly, "he is coming over."

The Persied came up next to Mezoti, "Pardon my intrusion but I couldn't help but notice that I don't recognize your species but yet you wear a cadet uniform."

Mezoti crossed her arms, "we are refugees, who just happened to come as minors."

"Ahh of course, we have retrieved quite a few refugees from war torn worlds. It is warming to see two young people who have made the commonwealth their homes and have such a high respect for what we stand for. If only all our native young had such a wonderful heart." The Persied bowed and backed up, "Please excuse me; sorry for the interruption, I must be going now."

Icheb stared after the Persied, "That was strange."

"He was a little too twitchy and not as obsessive as a normal Persied." Mezoti observed, "You don't think some of the rumored secret organizations of genetic purity have risen to try and purge the universe of some of the impurities?"

"I know this from being in the academy, the Knights of Genetic Purity are not a myth, they are very real and a Persied would hardly work for them given how scientifically minded the species is and the fact that they were the minds behind many of the human sub species." Icheb whispered, "And you're not exactly a genetic impurity and I made sure to hide my modification, as far as the medical board is aware my DNA is the baseline for my species." Icheb described, "More than likely he might be a collector or from an inquisition board that just observes and makes sure no one is planning mutiny, which is the last thing the reborn Commonwealth needs. We got to see how the defected collectors nearly ruined the commonwealth."

"True… That wasn't pretty in the least." Mezoti sighed

"You have lost me." Seven looked at the younger two.

"Sorry Seven, we didn't mean to. Most of the stuff is too hard to explain." Icheb nodded, "I am learning most of this at the academy, and Mezoti knows some of it because being refugees during that period we were inadvertently at the forefront of all of it even though they tried to keep us out of it you can't stop soldiers and government officials from talking so Mezoti knows a fair deal of this."

"Could you at least fill me in on that species?" Seven said as she watched another Persied walk down the street.

"If it weren't for the Persied's humans may have, one: not joined the commonwealth and two: destroyed the universe." Icheb introduced.

"I know a bit on this topic where Tarazed is primarily a human world so the education here lays quite a bit on humanities entry into the commonwealth." Mezoti added on, "Humans were experimenting with a form of slip stream technology however their equations were wrong and they nearly destroyed the universe. The Persied's discovered this and they spent thirty years mentoring humanity and introducing them to the technology and political systems of the Commonwealth."

"Icheb nodded, "The Persieds' are one of the oldest members of the Commonwealth, and they were conquered by the Vedran Empire and were a primary reason toward the creation of the Commonwealth. They are a brilliant scientifically minded people." Icheb looked at this watch, "We should be getting to the Museum, and I need to catch my transport back to the academy at fourteen hundred hours"

Mezoti stuffed a piece of toast into her mouth and mumbled, "I am done."

Neelix walked out of the kitchen, "Mezoti mind your manners. You don't talk with your mouth full."

Seven pushed her plate away, "I have consumed enough nutritional supplements for this time."


	29. Messages

**Messages**

Mezoti ran on ahead while Seven and Icheb talked on the way back from the Museum.

"Mezoti be careful." Icheb called out before turning to Seven, "What did you think of the museum? I have been told that the only Museum better than the one here is the one on Tarn Vedra."

"It was a very intriguing experience." Seven nodded, "How have you been Icheb?"

"I have been very well Seven. How do you like Tarazed?" Icheb asked.

"It is an interesting planet. I am a little confused by the time dilation though." Seven confessed.

"Well until you showed up I had no idea anything was different. There is very little data to indicate that there is now as well. You simply could have been thrown five years into the future from our entry point." Icheb explained.

"I find it odd that Captain Janeway isn't trying to get back to Voyager." Seven asked

"She tried for two years to get us home. She actually took the position she did to try and get us home as well. She is captaining a science vessel and one of her side projects is to try and find out how we got here." Icheb sighed.

"Given all that has happened, would you go back Icheb?" Seven asked

"I don't know, I am very happy with the Commonwealth but I also was very intrigued by Starfleet although the commonwealth is much bigger." Icheb debated with himself.

Seven looked ahead, "Where did Mezoti go?"

Icheb looked around and then said in a highly annoyed voice, "She took a short cut."

"A short cut?" Seven inquired

"She has been reprimanded several times for going through the construction yards. Yet she like most of the other children run through there." Icheb sighed, "If we go this way through this building's lobby we can cut off some of our journey back, without breaking the law."

"What do they manufacture in the construction yard?" Seven inquired

"They manufacture artificial intelligences'. People are not supposed to go through there because there have been cases of people exposing themselves to the new AI's early and compromising their programming." Icheb shook his head.

"Artificial Intelligence?" Seven arched her implant as she paused to look at Icheb.

"Yes you have heard of Data back in Starfleet correct?" Icheb asked

"Yes, of course. Some of the crew originally compared and contrasted myself to him." Seven shook her head.

"The Commonwealth manufactures AI's that are ten times more sophisticated than Data." Icheb said as he walked into the lobby and out onto the street and guided Seven back towards the apartment.

Once on the fourth floor Icheb pulled out his key card and opened the door. Mezoti was standing there holding a data key. "Icheb, there is a letter from Captain Janeway!"

"You went through the construction yards again didn't you?" Icheb reprimanded.

"No, a friend from school was outside so I walked with her through her apartment's lobby." Mezoti explained, "Her Father works in the construction yards so they live in high level housing that sits on the edge of the yard."

"Mezoti are you lying?" Seven asked raising her voice slightly concerned.

"I can call Natalia if you want confirmation that I was with her." Mezoti crossed her arms.

"Natalia; I believe you Mezoti." Icheb nodded, "What did Captain Janeway say?"

Seven looked at Icheb before looking back at Mezoti.

"I haven't opened it yet. I was waiting for you. I got here as the currier was delivering it." Mezoti said sliding the data key into the console.

Captain Janeway appeared as a three dimensional hologram, "Greetings Mezoti. I hope you are doing well and enjoying school. I had been hoping that I would be able to get to Tarazed before now. I know I have not visited since your summer break. I was so hoping to be able to visit for your birthday in two weeks however it seems that a group of Persieds want to take the Pearl out to do some tests on a black hole. I however have another offer that I hope will make up for it. I would like you to come spend next weekend on Tarn Vedra with me. If it is alright with Neelix you can send a confirmation to the Farsi Sector and you may bring a guest with you. If you are able to we will pick you up on Thursday from the Tara Shol Drift" The message blinked out.

Mezoti jumped over the couch and dialed the restaurant. Neelix appeared on the screen, "Mezoti is everything alright?"

"Yes… I just got a message from Captain Janeway. She wants me to visit her on Tarn Vedra next weekend and I can bring a guest with me. Can I go?" Mezoti asked Neelix through the unit.

"Do you have any competitions and are you up to date with all your school work If you go you will have to miss a day or two of school." Neelix reminded

"No competitions and all my school work is up to date and even a few subjects I am ahead in." Mezoti nodded, "She said I could bring a guest, could I bring Seven?"

"Why don't you take Naomi? I am sure she probably meant Naomi Mezoti, or a friend from school." Seven interrupted

"Naomi can't go; she has to go to a supplemental session for Lancer club. She made the club last night and where it is the middle of the school year she has to go to another school that is offering drill training for the weekend." Mezoti explained

"If Seven's doctor has no problem with her going off planet than she can go with you. I am sure it would be a good surprise for the captain." Neelix gave his consent. "I can stop by the courier office on the way home and send a message back to her."

"I am sure as long as Seven tells the doctor that Trance Gemini will be there she will let her go. Captain Janeway is in the Farsi Sector this week." Mezoti reported

Neelix signed off and Seven inquired, "Who is Trance Gemini and why would I be able to go no questions asked?"

Icheb shook his head, "Mezoti I am sure Trance is too busy to be waiting around Tarn Vedra for the weekend." Icheb turned to Seven, "Trance was able to figure out some of the problems that occurred with our integrating into this society. They had no concept of the Borg and their medical treatments left unmodified could have had serious complications with Borg technology. Trance helped discover that it was very possible to remove our cortical arrays"

Neelix walked in the door and started to put groceries away. Icheb had left an hour before and Mezoti was playing go with Seven.

The communications console came to life suddenly and Mezoti reached over to accept the incoming communication.

Azan and Rebi appeared in holographic form much like Icheb had the other night and Captain Janeway's message had played.

"Icheb told us you were here Seven and we wanted to say hello." Azan and Rebi nodded.

"Hello, Azan and Rebi, It is good to know that you are well." Seven greeted the two boys.

"We received your message Mezoti. How did the game go? Did we cream Starry Wisdom?" Rebi asked

"Oh yeah! We whooped them and sent them home with their tails between their legs. It was fun to see the Neitzscheans' defeated." Mezoti smiled

"Good, they needed that. Even though Tarazed is at peace with Nietzscheans' it is very good for their ego's to get beaten." Azan laughed

Neelix came over, "You two both seem in good spirits. Icheb mentioned you had some news?"

"Icheb spoils all our fun." Azan frowned.

Rebi nodded, "we have postponed our enlistment into the Lancers and have been granted leave from the home guard so that we can have the surgeries. We want to have them out because of the field we are interested in going into in the Lancers."

"Have you fully thought this through Azan and Rebi?" Seven said concerned, "can't you choose another field of expertise?"

"Seven we have thought it through and the High guard will take us regardless however we don't want to always be linked together and they can separate us. It was alright when we were boys however now there are many times when I want to go out on a date but I can't because of Rebi and vice versa." Azan protested, "the benefits outweigh the risks for us."

"We have actually already started the pretreatment so we are at the point of no return right now." Rebi stated.

Seven stood up and left the room while Mezoti cheered for the twins with their decision.


	30. Doctor's Appointment

**Doctor's Appointment**

Seven walked down the hallway of the hospital. She had been directed to an office on the third floor. Opening the door the doctor was sitting behind a desk typing out a report.

"Seven please come in. I have been waiting for you." The doctor stood up and indicated that seven should sit.

Uneasily Seven sat while the doctor took a scan.

"You seem to be in good health and your body has absorbed all the immune boosters I gave you." The doctor nodded, "How do you like Tarazed?"

"This is a very unique planet. I received a key card the other and I was told I just need to wait for a medical clearance and I can look for a job." Seven inquired, "I am unsure what I would be qualified for but I am uneasy with just living with Neelix."

"I would like to wait a few more weeks for you to have my clearance. Typically new residents are asked to wait a month before joining the work force. It gives them time to enjoy and learn as much about their new home as possible." The doctor nodded as she explained the procedure.

"I understand." Seven replied, "I was invited to accompany the child Mezoti to Tarn Vedra but I told her it probably would not be likely, that she should choose a friend from school."

The doctor smiled, "Let me guess she said Trance Gemini would be there?"

"Yes, I take it you are familiar with this Trance Gemini?" Seven inquired.

"Yes I am the doctor that originally treated the four children and I couldn't have done it without Trance's help. I have no doubt that Trance will be there given Mezoti's tendency to occasionally become ill." The Doctor nodded sitting down, "I give my permission however, I would rather you not go off world for another month although given this invitation I encourage you to go, it is not often that people are just invited to Tarn Vedra in this day in age."

"I have been meaning to ask more about that. Neelix told me a little about what was happening and that Mezoti has a very low survival rate until she is old enough." Seven asked, "Isn't there another way?"

"Neelix didn't tell you?" the doctor smiled, "her odds have increased dramatically. I haven't broken it to her yet we could do the operation as early as this time next year. We have been studying her brain functions and it appears that it is very near maturity. I can't tell you anything more than that but I wanted you to know that. In many of her appointments with me Mezoti always talked about you and how you would know what to do."

"I am unsure, what I would do. If this was Voyager I might know what to do but here I don't know how I could help." Seven sighed before continuing, "I understand that Azan and Rebi will be going through with the procedure after the new year begins?"

"Technically they have been receiving treatments for the last six months in the form of an injection that slowly removes and deactivates your Borg nanobots which are then replaced by our own medical bots which are programmed to do the same functions. When they reach a certain level we can then implant a data port into the base of the skull without fear of rejection. This then starts the hardest three months as your brain is in a state of flux and it is very painful even for a person without your special hardware. After that we have a program that we install into the data port and the transfer all functions from the cortical node back to your brain through the program after which in about two surgeries we will remove all Borg implants." The doctor described in detail.

"Azan and Rebi have a neuro link, how will you deal with that?" Seven asked

"We have two teams that are going to do the data port surgery at the same time and at the same speed. We will then be able to transfer their link up to their data ports with the rest of the surgery and then gradually release them from their bondage. After the surgery is complete they will be free to live fully independent lives and not be bound to each other like conjoined twins."

"I understand but I can't help but wonder if there could be another way." Seven shook her head, "at any rate I doubt I would go through with the surgery myself."

"That is the beauty of living in the Commonwealth, your decisions are your own, you decide your own fate as long as it doesn't interfere with someone else's chosen path." The doctor smiled, "Now when were you planning on leaving?"

"I believe we are leaving as soon as Mezoti gets out of school. I was instructed to pick her up from school whether I was permitted off planet or not. I was to see that she got off alright even if I was not to leave." Seven explained.

"So soon." The doctor wrote something down on a flexi, "I need you to give this to Trance upon arrival to Tarn Vedra and can I see your key card?"

Seven passed it over, in order to purchase a ticket to the drift you need to confirm your identity.

"I just need to check to make sure your card says you can leave the planet. It should I didn't write anything about long term restrictions in your file." The doctor read the information on the key card and nodded as she handed it back. "You are good to go and should have no issues. Have a safe and enjoyable trip."


	31. Reunion

AN: You are not crazy. You might have read this chapter before. I stupidly uploaded chapter 28 as chapter 28 the last time I updated. So as a reward I have updated all the chapters that made the gap in between the last two chapters.

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><p><strong>The Reunion<strong>

Mezoti stepped out of the school and shifted her school bag to her side. As she walked down the steps to the street she straightened her sweater. She had gone to the changing rooms in the lancer clubs locker room and changed out of her school uniform so people wouldn't stare at her on the drift.

Seven was waiting for her with two bags that she had helped Seven pack. "I take it you got the ok?" Mezoti smiled.

"Indeed, I have my doctor's approval." Seven nodded.

Mezoti grabbed Seven's hand and pulled her along, "Then let's go!"

Mezoti directed Seven to the spaceport where she presented the payment for the two tickets and showed Seven where to place her card in order to confirm her identity.

Once that was done and they were green lighted Mezoti showed Seven to the transport and grabbed a seat, "Seven just stay near me and ignore any Chechins and Nightsiders we might see. In order to get from the civilian docking port to the military port we need to walk through the market place. You do not want to do any deals with either of those species. They will both rob you blind, Lieutenant Paris said they are both similar to the Ferengi."

"I will stay alert." Seven nodded

A short while later when the transport docked with the drift Mezoti and Seven walked out onto the drift. Seven looked around at all the levels and windows of the massive drift. There were booths everywhere that were filled with various pieces of tech.

Mezoti pointed to some people, "Those are Argosy officers over there, specifically the field I want to get into. They are pilots."

"How are you certain that they are pilots and why do you want to be a pilot?" Seven asked

"You can tell because of their stance and I have been introduced to them before." Mezoti said pointing out the way they stood with such even balance. "I want to be a pilot because there is something about being a pilot in this universe, they fly using slipstream as we mentioned before but you don't just learn to pilot like they did on Voyager you actually have to use your entire mind and feel the ship with your whole body. It is more an art form than a skill."

Once they were through the marketplace Mezoti directed Seven to the civilian check point. "Captain Janeway should be here for us shortly."

They waited for a while and after half an hour Mezoti went to the guard, "Do you know if the Cassiopia's Pearl is in port?"

The Guard looked down at Mezoti, "Yes they docked two hours ago."

"Could you get a message t to the captain that Mezoti is waiting?" Mezoti asked.

The Guard nodded and pressed his comlink.

Mezoti went back to Seven, "He is going to contact Captain Janeway."

A few minutes later out of the crowd coming towards the military port was a young woman with long wavy hair. She didn't seem to be wearing a uniform however she walked right up to the checkpoint. The guard pointed to them and she came over.

"Mezoti, I am so sorry to have kept you waiting. We arrived in port and an admiral pulled the captain into a high level meeting. I would have come to get you a while ago except I had several things to take care of." The woman apologized.

Mezoti sprung up and hugged the woman, "Cassie!"

The woman didn't even falter in the suddenness. She just hugged the girl back, "It has been too long Mezoti, I think you grew."

"Of course I did, I am a teenager," Mezoti laughed, "and you haven't seen me since the beginning of the summer."

"Who is your friend?" Cassie asked.

"This is Seven, I brought her with me as a surprise for the captain." Mezoti smiled

"You are THE Seven?" Cassie asked to which Seven nodded, "Oh she will be very surprised alright."

Mezoti grabbed her bag and Seven did the same.

Cassie nodded, "Well lets go and get you comfortable."

They walked through security and down a corridor until they got to an airlock. Upon approaching the airlock opened seemingly unassisted.

Mezoti looked to Cassie, "So in the six months you have been away from Tarazed have you had any good adventures?"

"I don't adventure, I explore." Cassie corrected, "But yes we have discovered some new things and developed some exciting new theories."

"Look at you Mezoti!" someone called out.

Seven locked her eyes on the man, "Lieutenant Paris, I was unaware that you were going to be onboard."

"Oh… My… Goodness… Seven is that you?" Tom gasped as he walked over.

"It is I." Seven nodded

"How long have you been here with us?" Tom asked

"I have been living with Neelix and Mezoti for exactly one week." Seven answered

"Well then I forgive you for not contacting us, although a message would have been nice." Tom frowned, "Cassie, the captain is looking for you, I can get Mezoti and Seven settled and then bring them to command."

"Alright, I will inform the captain." Cassie nodded

"Cassie, why don't you keep it a secret, I am sure the captain would get more of a surprise from seeing Seven than you telling her." Tom nodded

Cassie closed her eyes before opening them again, "What are you going to do if I tell?" she smiled coyly.

"I might just sabotage some malfunctions for you to fix." Tom smiled

"You wouldn't." Cassie planted her hands on her hips.

"Oh I would, now keep my secret and that is an order." Tom pointed

"I don't take orders from you Lieutenant." Cassie flipped her hair and walked off.

"Why are you trying to order the ship's avatar around?" Mezoti looked curiously.

"It is always worth a try, although I don't think she will tell. Cassie and I have come to a certain agreement." Tom chuckled.

"I am unfamiliar with the rank of ship's avatar." Seven stated

"It is an ah rather unique position here in the Commonwealth." Tom stated

Cassiopia appeared, "I am keeping the secret Lieutenant however I will not let you milk out exactly who and what I am with this newcomer."

Seven stared at the hologram

"Do you have to stare?" Cassiopia informed

"Your Cassie, you were just here, why did you have to come in like that couldn't you just come back." Seven asked

Cassiopia shook her head and looked down at the ground, "Oh ye of little experience. I am Cassiopia, Cassie is my Avatar, created to look like me and be the mediator between myself and my crew. She is to me what your hand is to you."

"And what are you to this ship?" Seven asked

"I am the logic and planner of the ships AI." Cassiopeia smiled, "There is another part of us that is the core intelligence. You will meet her later, but she looks like well me except she appears on a screen."

"This is what Icheb meant when he said the AI's were more lifelike than Data?" Seven asked as Cassiopeia disappeared

"Well you didn't even know Cassie was not organic." Tom laughed

"They seem so real, when I met my first AI I had a hard time believing what she was. I wouldn't have known had she not referred to herself as the ship. Rommie like Cassie has such real emotions. I haven't seen either of them do it but I heard that Rommie can even cry." Mezoti explained.

"She is quite an intriguing being. This culture has created a truly sentient artificial intelligence." Seven stated

"Yes, they have although Rommie and Cassie and other modern AI's are a little more real because since the three hundred years that were the long night some worlds have great distaste of artificial intelligences, so Harper designed them to completely blend in." Tom described, "How about I take you to some quarters?"

"How long is this trip going to take?" Seven asked

"It is about a three jump trip to Tarn Vedra. we will be disembarking shortly making the long jump to the galactic fringe where we will be having dinner in the Antares system. Then two more jumps to Tarn Vedra, give or take an hour it should take four hours. I am piloting the second two jumps." Tom explained.

"Slipstream is not an exact science but it is really fast and it is a rush." Mezoti explained before asking, "Do you think we can be on command for one of the jumps?"

"I will ask." Tom nodded as he pressed the button to one of the guest quarters, "Mezoti, I believe these are your favorite quarters?"

"Yes, it has a good view of space and slipstream when we go in." Mezoti smiled as she took her bag and set it on the bed.

Tom stepped back and let the doors shut before taking Seven down the hall a few doors. "And here you go Seven."

"How is Mezoti expected to regenerate on Tarn Vedra?" Seven asked turning around to face Lieutenant Paris.

"Seamus Harper who redesigned the alcoves made a very detailed blueprint of all the parts that made up the alcoves and he was able to find all the parts and make four extra alcoves. Two stay at the Captain's house and the other two are currently with Azan and Rebi." Tom answered.

"I need to report to command. When it gets closer to dinner I am sure Cassie will come to find you. If you would like to explore the ship ask Cassiopeia and she can give you directions to the public areas of the ship." Tom said stepping back

"Do you need anything Seven?" A voice asked

Seven turned around to see the screen on the wall lit up with Cassiopeia's image centered in front of a blue screen that looked like it was sorting computer files.

"I take it that you are the third personality?" Seven asked

"In a sense yes. I don't always differentiate between myselves the way my other forms do."

"I do not require any form of assistance at this time." Seven stated

"Well don't be afraid to ask, I am always here." Cassiopeia nodded as her screen shut down.

The door chimed and Seven asked for the door to open. Mezoti walked in and sat on the bed, "What do you think of the guest quarters' here on the Pearl?"

"The commonwealth appears to go out of their way to decorate." Seven nodded.

"Seven come with me to my quarters." Mezoti said running to the door. "You can see the ship enter slipstream." Mezoti said as she heard the ship disconnect from the docking bay of the drift.

Seven walked with Mezoti down to her quarters and just as they entered their came the call over the ship

"All hands brace for slipstream!"

"That would be Nicolai Khalid, the first officer." Mezoti explained, "He is a pretty nice guy unlike his son who likes to run his highly bred mouth."

Mezoti then pointed as the ship opened up a blue hole in space. "Seven make sure you hold onto something, there is going to be quite the lurch as the ship transitions." Mezoti gripped the edge of the window port as she rocked with the ships transition to slip stream.

Seven felt the transition and clasped her hand onto the edge of the window at the last minute and rocked with the ship. Once they were inside and the ship had stabilized she let go.

"I would stay holding onto something. They don't always announce the transition back to normal space." Mezoti said placing her hand on the desk as she took a step back. "We are inside the fabric of space. Those are the strings that hold the universe together. The Pearl opens runners which upon transitioning to slipstream string into those cords. The pilot can then make the ship go wherever they want by visualizing their destination. I have studied all the theories of slipstream and I can't wait until I get a chance to pilot." Mezoti explained the procedure.

The ship was in the stream for half an hour before transitioning back to normal space and placing itself in orbit of a colorful planet located on the galactic fringe.

The door chimed a short time later and Mezoti had the door open. Cassie stepped in. "Your presence is requested in the senior officers' mess for dinner with the Captain. I will take you there."

"Thank you Cassie, was that jump as smooth as it seemed?" Mezoti asked.

"Lieutenant Gar is a very precise pilot. She can navigate some of the most difficult streams with the most precise movements. I will be biting my tongue when Lieutenant Paris takes the helm later. He has come a long way but he is still very novice." Cassie said as she led them down a hall, "Seven, I feel everything that scrapes against my hull just as someone scratches your skin."

"That must be a confusing occurrence." Seven raised her implant

"No, it isn't that bad, I can easily tell whether the assault is to my ship self or if it is happening to this body." Cassie said as she stopped in front of a door which opened to show a spacious room with elegant furniture and a full bar. "Make yourself at home, and Mezoti stay away from the bar!"

Mezoti crossed her arms, "I am smarter than that Cassie."

A few minutes after Lieutenant Paris walked in with Lieutenant Torres.

"Seven is that really you?" Be'Lanna's jaw dropped.

"It is I, Lieutenant. How have you been?" Seven inclined her head.

"Well, it has been a long five years but I have learned a lot of new skills being here." Be'Lanna replied, "It is good to have you here."

"You are just being polite Lieutenant." Seven stated

"Ok, maybe I am." Be'Lanna laughed.

Captain Janeway walked in with Commander Khalid. Seven eyed the pale blond haired giant of a man. His body was built like a warrior and his body had good proportions. To her knowledge this was the first time she had been this close to the so far most talked about species she had heard about.

"After we eat if we can take a few scans of the solar activity of this sun. I have heard that a very rare solar storm is brewing in this system and if we can take… Commander are you listening to me?" Katherine looked where Nicolai was looking and if she had had anything in her hands it surely would have been on the floor and she looked like she was seeing a ghost.

"Captain," Seven greeted with an inclined head.

"Seven, how come I didn't hear that you were here?" Captain Janeway asked

"I have only been here about two weeks. Neelix didn't want to interrupt your mission so Mezoti decided to bring me with her tonight to meet you. I hope this is not too much of an inconvenience. I was in favor of other methods." Seven announced.

"Seven it is good to see you." Katherine frowned before glancing up to the ship, "It would have been nice to know when she came aboard rather than find out at dinner."

Cassiopeia appeared, "I am sorry captain. I was forced to keep the secret by Lieutenant Paris."

Captain Janeway looked at Tom and shook her head, "Lieutenant I have been meaning to have a word with you about how you seem to corrupting one of the most advanced and high-tech Artificial intelligence."

"I have no idea what you mean captain." Tom shrugged

"I think the captain is meaning the time you convinced my avatar that is was alright to rewire the Eureka Maru to broadcast unknown species translation syntax programs." Cassiopeia announced

"tattle tail." Tom sat at the table

"Captain I will leave you to your dinner. Are there any tests you need to me run or results you need double checked?" Cassie asked

"Continue to monitor the results of the experiments running in lab 23." Janeway commanded.

"Aye captain," Cassiopeia disappeared and soon a crew member brought out plates of steaming food which he laid in front of each of the chairs.

"Seven sit next to me and please fill me in on what has been going on." Janeway said gesturing to one of the seats next to the head of the table.


End file.
